Police say marriage, relationships are used to form small militant cells in Bangladesh

The father of Kamal Uddin, a suspected militant who died in a suicide blast during a raid on a house in Sitakunda, is blaming his wife Jobaida Yasmin and her brother Jahirul Haque Jashim for what happened to his son.

Jobaida also died in the blast during the raid on the house at Premtala in Chittagong's Sitakunda municipality on Mar 16 while her brother Zahirul Haque Jashim was arrested along with his wife 'Arjina' during a similar raid on a house at Namar Bazar in the same municipality the previous day.

Police say Jashim and Jobaida had planned to marry their teenage sister off to Mahmudul Hasan, a militant suspect arrested after attacking police in Comilla on Mar 7.

"Kamal and Jashim were friends. They became relatives when Kamal married Jashim's sister (Jobaida). Their plan to marry their sister to Hasan proves that they were forming small units by making relationships among themselves," Chittagong Additional Superintendent of Police Rezaul Masud told bdnews24.com on Monday.

Kamal's father Mozaffar Ahmad, and Jobaida's father Nurul Alam and brother Ziabul Haque, all from the hill tract district of Bandarban, identified the bodies at Chittagong Medical College Hospital mortuary Monday afternoon.

"I have never imagined that my son would do something like this. I had heard about the incident from others in my area. Now I see it is my son. I won't look at him and won’t take the body," septuagenarian Mozaffar told bdnews24.com.

In his words, Jashim 'overwillingly' married his sister Jobaida off to Kamal who 'started to change' after the marriage.

The couple left home nine month ago saying Jobaida needed medical treatment and stopped communicating with the family.

"Kamal would not face this consequence had he not married Jashim's sister," said Mozaffar.

Kamal, second among six sons and two daughters of Mozaffar, studied with Jashim up to the fourth grade at a local Qawmi madrasa.

Jashim and Arjina 'disappeared' three months ago. He had regularly communicated with Kamal until then.

"I asked Jashim why so much time would be needed for the treatment and why Kamal was not communicating with me. Jashim said they got jobs in the city and would return," Mozaffar said.

Kamal's father said he did not understand why his son would take a job in the city even though he had been earning Tk 15,000 every week by farming betel leaf.

He alleged Jashim looked after the farm but did not 'pay the profit'.

"This son of mine has ruined our family. Everyone is depressed now. I don't want the body now," Mozaffar said.   

Jashim's father Nurul Alam said his son was staying at his in-laws' house at a nearby village.

He left the village three months ago and started to live in the port city.

Jashim is his second son while Jobaida is the third daughter among his 11 children.

He also refused to take Jobaida's body.

His other daughter, 17-year-old Monji Ara, is also 'missing' after Kamal took her six months ago.

"He had planned to marry her off to Hasan," he said.

Police are yet to find Monji and are not confirm whether Hasan married her.