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Published : 23 Jun 2026, 12:09 PM
An incarcerated Awami League leader has attended his mother's Namaz-e-Janaza, or funeral prayers, on parole while bound in handcuffs.
Ayub Babul, vice-president of the Patiya Upazila unit of the Awami League and a former mayor of the municipality, was escorted under police guard to the funeral service on Monday night.
The prayers took place at the Adalat Jame Mosque premises in Patiya town after Babul's mother, 80-year-old Amjuman Ara Begum, died on Monday afternoon following a long battle with old-age complications.
Following her demise at their residence near WAPDA Road, the family petitioned the deputy commissioner for his temporary release.
Authorities granted a five-hour parole window, after which correctional officers drove him back to prison.
Local residents said police brought Babul from Chittagong Central Jail to Patiya under security for the funeral, which began around 9:30pm.
Footage circulating on social media showed the veteran Awami League politician participating in the rituals with handcuffs bound to one of his wrists.
Addressing the mourners in a tear-strained voice, Babul expressed his deep gratitude to the attendees while lamenting his inability to serve his ailing mother during her final days.
He noted that he arrived under official government protocol and requested the crowd to refrain from shouting political slogans, before seeking forgiveness from everyone for the delay.
His mother was later laid to rest at their family graveyard in the town.
Patiya Police chief Ziaul Haque confirmed that the Awami League leader joined his mother’s funeral while on a brief parole release.
He maintained that the deployment followed standard security protocols, confirming that Babul remained handcuffed before being sent back to jail.
The former mayor faces at least six criminal cases and has been in prison since Apr 29, 2025.
