The first Namaz-e-Janaza of Nasrin Akter Mukta, 27, a schoolteacher who was killed in a devastating fire at a resort in Cox’s Bazar, was held on Wednesday, 28 October.
Mukta was the wife of Dewan Faisal, vice-president of Dhaka District Chhatra Dal.
The janaza took place beside the Baitur Rob Jame Mosque in the Niribili area of Ashulia, attended by hundreds of grieving mourners as well as leaders and activists from various political organisations, including the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Chhatra Dal, and Swechchhasebak Dal.
Earlier on Wednesday morning, a sombre atmosphere descended on Niribili when Mukta’s body arrived from Cox’s Bazar, leaving relatives in deep grief.
Following the initial funeral prayers, her body was taken to Taltala Betmor Union in Mathbaria Upazila of Pirojpur district to be buried beside her grandfather’s grave, in accordance with her final wish.
Mukta was the daughter of Mostafa Kamal from Taltala Betmor Union in Mathbaria.
Providing details of the tragedy, the victim’s maternal uncle, Mohammad Abdullah Al Lizon, stated that the fire broke out on the morning of 17 October at the three-storey ‘Tuptup Restaurant and Resort’ adjacent to Marine Drive in Patuartek, Ukhia.
On the day of the incident, the Fire Service and other law enforcement agencies recovered 10 bodies from the site and sent them to Dhaka for DNA testing.
Mukta’s brother and sister submitted their DNA samples, but after approximately eight days, authorities informed the family that the samples did not match any of the 10 recovered bodies.
Lizon alleged that despite repeated inquiries with the administration regarding missing Mukta, responsible officials failed to provide accurate information.
Suspecting lapses, Mukta’s husband Dewan Faisal and other relatives visited the burnt resort site at night on their own initiative.
Upon noticing flies hovering over a burnt portion of the debris, they alerted the administration, prompting a fresh search by the Fire Service and rescue team the following day, which led to the recovery of Mukta’s body from that location.
Expressing their distress, Mukta’s relatives accused officials of the Fire Service and rescue teams of grave negligence, maintaining that the recovery took a long time because search operations were not conducted properly despite repeated alerts from the family.
They claimed that had a thorough search been carried out from the beginning, the body might have been recovered in a more intact condition.
The family also expressed dissatisfaction regarding the investigation committee’s report and the legal clauses under which the case was filed, calling for a fair investigation and justice.
