Rakibul Islam, former president of the now-banned Chhatra League’s Natore district unit, was released on parole for two hours on Saturday to attend his father’s funeral prayers and burial. He was taken back to Natore District Jail under police escort after the burial was completed that night.
According to Natore Sadar police, Rakibul has been in custody since his arrest on 22 June in connection with a political case. While he was in prison, his father, Abul Kalam Azad, died at the family home in the Hajipara neighbourhood of Natore town on Saturday afternoon.
Following the death, Rakibul’s family applied to the district magistrate seeking permission for him to attend the funeral prayers and burial. The request was subsequently approved, allowing him to leave prison for a limited period under security arrangements.
At around 8pm on Saturday, police escorted Rakibul from the prison to the Burha Dargah mosque field in the Bargachha area of Natore town, where the funeral prayers for his father were held.
The brief reunion with his family was marked by visible emotion. Before the funeral prayers, Rakibul approached his father’s body, touched it in the presence of relatives and broke down in tears. Although he had been allowed to leave prison temporarily, the circumstances gave him little opportunity for a conventional family gathering. His time outside custody was strictly limited and centred on bidding farewell to his father.
After the funeral prayers, Rakibul also attended the burial at a local cemetery. He spent a short period with relatives before the allotted time expired. Police then escorted him back towards Natore District Jail.
Natore Sadar police station officer-in-charge Monsur Rahman confirmed the development. He said Rakibul was taken back to Natore Jail under police escort at around 10pm, after the burial had been completed.
Parole arrangements of this nature generally involve permission from the relevant authorities and security measures designed to ensure that a prisoner can attend an important family or religious occasion without compromising custody requirements. The person remains subject to the conditions attached to the temporary release and is required to return to prison when the authorised period ends.
In Rakibul’s case, the permission followed a formal request from his family after his father’s death. His movement was supervised by police throughout the period outside custody, and he was returned to prison once the permitted time had elapsed.
For the bereaved family, Rakibul’s presence provided an opportunity for him to take part in the final religious rites for his father despite being behind bars. Yet the circumstances also meant that the time he could spend with his relatives was sharply restricted. Within roughly two hours, he attended the funeral prayers, took part in the burial and said his final farewell before returning to custody.
The episode underscores the difficult position faced by prisoners when a close family member dies. Even when permission is granted on compassionate or religious grounds, such leave remains temporary, conditional and subject to security arrangements. In Rakibul’s case, the brief release ended shortly after his father’s burial, bringing him back into custody the same night.
