Released on Parole, Awami League Leader Attends Mother’s Funeral

Banned Awami League leader Golam Hasnain Russell was granted a four-hour temporary parole release on Friday, 14 August, allowing him to attend his mother’s funeral under heavy police escort in Bhangura, Pabna.

Russell, the general secretary of the Bhangura Upazila Awami League, previously served as an MP for the Pabna-3 constituency, upazila chairman, and local mayor. He is the son of former lawmaker Mokbul Hossain.

Arranged under tight security, law enforcement vehicles transported Russell to his family residence in the Sardarpara neighbourhood of Bhangura town at around 9:30 am on Friday. A large gathering of relatives, political supporters, and local residents had assembled at the premises prior to his arrival. Upon descending from the vehicle, Russell viewed his mother’s body, which was kept in a refrigerated vessel in the courtyard, before being escorted to the nearby Bhangura Union School and College ground for the funeral prayers.

Emotional Farewell and Public Address

Addressing the assembled crowd before the funeral prayers began, an emotional Russell spoke fondly of his late mother, Nurjahan Rekha, describing her dedication to her family and community.

“Everyone present here today knew my mother. She was a simple homemaker who spent her life caring for others. I believe almost everyone who ever visited our home has shared a meal cooked by her hands. If our family has ever committed any mistake, I ask for your forgiveness with folded hands.”

— Golam Hasnain Russell, Awami League Leader

Thousands of attendees, including party workers and residents from Bhangura, Chatmohar, and Faridpur upazilas, joined the funeral congregation. Following the prayers, police escorted Russell to the Par Bhangura graveyard, where he participated in the burial rituals and offered prayers at his mother’s gravesite before being returned to prison custody.

Health Battle and Legal Hurdles

Nurjahan Rekha passed away at a hospital in Dhaka at 9:55 am on Thursday, 13 August, following a long battle with severe kidney complications and related ailments. She had been admitted to the facility approximately six weeks earlier after her condition deteriorated, eventually requiring life support.

Russell was arrested alongside an associate, Bashir, by police in Mirpur, Dhaka, on the night of 20 July. He was subsequently remanded in custody in connection with an explosives case filed at Bhangura Police Station.

Following an urgent application citing his mother’s critical health condition, Judge Aftabuzzaman of the Pabna District and Sessions Judge Second Court granted Russell bail on Wednesday, 12 August. However, before the release order could be processed by prison authorities, his mother passed away on Thursday morning.

On the same day, police presented Russell in court and formally recorded his arrest in connection with a newly filed case at Chatmohar Police Station, preventing his release under the original bail order. Confronted with the prospect of missing his mother’s final rites, Russell broke down in tears in court. His legal counsel subsequently submitted an emergency petition for temporary parole to the District Magistrate and Deputy Commissioner, which was ultimately approved to facilitate his brief attendance at the funeral.