Jatiya Party chief Ershad laid to rest in Rangpur

In a dramatic turn of events, the Jatiya Party chief HM Ershad has been laid to rest in his hometown Rangpur amid an outcry at the funeral prayer over the decision to bury the former president in Dhaka.

The body of the deposed military dictator was taken to his village home ‘Palli Nibas’ instead of the capital after the Namaz-e-Janaza in Rangpur town’s Collectorate Eidgah field on Tuesday afternoon. He was later buried beside his father’s grave in the lychee orchard.

“Raushon Ershad has given consent to bury Hussain Muhammad Ershad in Rangpur to respect the love of the people of Rangpur. She has also requested to be laid to rest in a grave next to Ershad’s,” the party said in a statement. 

Ershad, who had been on life support for the last 10 days, breathed his last at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka around 7:45am on Sunday. He has been suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome or a low-level of haemoglobin in his blood for long.
 

A Namaz-e-Janaza of Jatiya Party Chairman HM Ershad was held at the Collectorate Eidgah field in his hometown Rangpur on Tuesday afternoon.

The party had initially decided to bury the former president at the Army Graveyard in the capital's Banani, his brother and Acting Jatiya Party President GM Quader confirmed.

But Rangpur natives demanded that Ershad be laid to rest in his hometown, having already dug a grave in his village home 'Palli Nibas'.

A military helicopter carrying the coffin of Ershad landed at the Rangpur Cantonment around 11:45am on Tuesday, Jatiya Party Presidium Member ATU Taj Rahman told bdnews24.com. 

The coffin of HM Ershad lies next to the grave before burial at the litchi orchard in his Rangpur home on Tuesday.

Ershad's elder son Shad Ershad, Jatiya Party General Secretary Moshiur Rahman Ranga and former Jatiya Party secretary general ABM Ruhul Amin Howlader accompanied Quader during the trip.   

Former army chief HM Ershad was given a guard of honour before burial in Rangpur on Tuesday.

The fourth funeral prayer for Ershad was held at the Eidgah premises in Rangpur amid tight security.

But Rangpur Mayor Md Mustafizur Rahman Mostafa, also a presidium member of the Jatiya Party's local chapter, along with other local activists demanded that Ershad be buried in Rangpur 'at any cost'.  

Former army chief HM Ershad was given a guard of honour before burial in Rangpur on Tuesday.

The mayor explained that it would be difficult for the people of Rangpur to pay homage to their beloved leader if he was buried in Dhaka. 

Ershad also wished to be buried in his village home, claimed local leaders and activists of Jatiya Party.