Veteran politician and Bangladesh Awami League presidium member Matia Chowdhury was buried at Mirpur Martyred Intellectual Graveyard in Dhaka on Thursday.
She was buried in her husband鈥檚 grave after her second namaz-e-janaza at Gulshan Azad Mosque after Zuhr prayers.
Her first namaz-e-janaza was held at about 10:00am on the day in front of her home at Ramna Apartment Complex in the capital.
Her younger brother Masudul Islam Chowdhury said that Matia was laid to rest in her husband鈥檚 grave minutes after 3:30pm at Mirpur Martyred Intellectual Graveyard.
He alleged that his sister was not given a 鈥榞uard of honour鈥� before her burial though she was a freedom fighter.
Dhaka district deputy commissioner Tanvir Ahmed told 抖阴精品 that they did not ensure a 鈥榞uard of honour鈥� to Matia Chowdhury as she neither had a freedom fighter鈥檚 certificate nor her name was found in the gazette of the list of freedom fighters.
Masudul also said that they had to bury Matia in her husband鈥檚 grave as they did not get permission from the Dhaka North City Corporation for using a separate place for her burial.
He said that they informed the matter to the authorities orally but submitted no application to the DNCC for allocating a separate place in the graveyard for her burial.
DNCC chief executive officer Mir Khairul Alam said that the family did not submit any formal application though one has to take prior consent from the Chief Adviser鈥檚 Office.
He said that the citizens earlier used to take consent for such activities from the Prime Minister鈥檚 Office.
The chief adviser鈥檚 deputy press secretary Abul Kalam Azad Majumder said that he was not aware of the matter.
Leaders and activists under the banner of Bangladesh Awami League placed wreaths to her coffin at the Gulshan Azad Mosque. Bangladesh Chhatra League鈥檚 former president Mainuddin Hossain Chowdhury led the AL team.
Bangladesh Juba League, Bangladesh Awami Swechasebak League and former BCL leaders also paid tribute to her there.
Leaders and activists of the AL and its associate organisations chanted slogans near Gulshan Azad Mosque. The slogans included 鈥楯oy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu鈥�, 鈥楨katturer Hatiyar, Gorjey Uthuk Arekbar鈥�, 鈥楳uktijuddher Hatiyar, Gorgey Uthuk Arekbar鈥�, 鈥榯he government of Sheikh Hasina, needed repeatedly鈥�.
Matia, also the deputy leader of the 12th parliament and a former minister, died at Evercare Hospital in the capital on Wednesday.
Matia was elected lawmaker for Sherpur-2 for six terms and served as agriculture minister in 1996, 2009, and 2014 in the AL cabinet.
Born on June 30, 1942, in Pirojpur, to a police officer father, Mohiuddin Ahmed Chowdhury, Matia married journalist Bazlur Rahman in 1964.
Matia began student politics as a leader of the then East Pakistan Chhatra Union while studying at Eden Women鈥檚 College in Dhaka. She was the president of the students鈥� organisation for the term of 1965-1966.
In 1967, Matia joined the East Pakistan National Awami Party.
Between 1967 and 1969 time and again she was an organiser of the anti-Ayub movement and was detained in jail for about 2 years. She was released from jail during the mass uprising in 1969.
She was known as 鈥楢gnikanya鈥�, or the firebrand, for her fiery speeches when she was the president of the East Pakistan Students鈥� Union and the general secretary of Dhaka University Central Students鈥� Union.
During the Liberation War in 1971, she played a role as an organiser in forming a joint guerrilla force comprising members of the National Awami Party, the Communist Party, and the Students鈥� Union.
In 1979, she left the National Awami Party and joined the Awami League. By 1986, she
had become the party鈥檚 secretary for agricultural affairs and was eventually included in its policy-making council.
She was elected lawmaker for Sherpur-2 constituency in the January 7 national election for the sixth term but lost her parliament membership with the fall of the Sheikh Hasina regime amid a student-mass uprising on August 5.