Man in Akkelpur ostracized for divorcing wife and remarrying, victim’s hand broken by religious leaders

Akkelpur (Joypurhat) Correspondent:

Jalil Pramanik, a day laborer from Balukapara village in Raykali union of Akkelpur upazila of Joypurhat, has not been allowed to participate in any social work for the past one and a half years. He was not given sacrificial meat or taken to the daily chores because he was kept in ‘ekghor’ (social isolation). Because he had given his wife ‘triple talaq’ a year and a half ago, he remarried his previous wife after 29 days without getting married.

This is his crime. The influential people in the village did not stop there either. As a result of that incident, the influential people beat him up on the way to the mosque. As a result, the bone in his left hand was broken. He has filed a case against 8 people at the police station in this incident. The case was recorded last Tuesday night. However, in the case statement, he did not mention the fact that he was ostracized or kept in isolation.

It has been reported that Jalil Pramanik was kept in a ‘single room’ (excommunicated) for about one and a half years in Balukapara village. The chairman of the local Raykali Union Parishad, Md. Abdur Rashid Mandal, is also aware of this. He could not resolve the issue of excommunicating both parties even after calling them to the UP office.

According to the villagers and the victim’s family, on February 27, 2024, due to a family dispute, Abdul Jalil Pramanik divorced his wife in anger. 29 days after this incident, he remarried his wife. The village elders were angry and kept Abdul Jalil Pramanik’s family ‘single room’ (excommunicated).

Then Jalil Pramanik reported the matter to the Akkelpur Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO). The UNO assigned the chairman of Raykali Union Parishad, Abdur Rashid Mandal, to resolve the matter. The UP Chairman called both the parties to a meeting at the Union Parishad office. However, he could not come to any practical solution. This made the village elders even angrier at Jalil Pramanik.

Abdul Jalil was going to the village shop around 8 pm on August 15. At that time, the elders beat him up twice. As a result, his left hand was broken. He sought medical treatment and filed a case against 8 people at the police station.

Sakhawat Hossain, a resident of Balukapara village, said, “Abdul Jalil divorced his wife about a year and a half ago. After a few days, he started a family again. Due to this, the village elders put Abdul Jalil Pramanik in an ‘ekghor’ (outcast from society). The beating occurred due to an argument over this.

Lutfun Nesa, an old woman of the village, said, “I cannot work. Abdul Jalil’s wife came to my house and cooked a curry of slaughtered chicken. I went to Jalil’s house and brought him a bowl of chicken curry. They threatened to ‘excommunicate’ me too.

The victim, Abdul Jalil, said, “I divorced my wife out of anger. I remarried 29 days later. For not marrying Hilla, the village elders Rocky Khan, Milton Khan, Abu Sufian and 10-12 others have ‘excommunicated’ me. Even after a mufti from Dhaka brought the opinion that if you divorce your wife out of anger, you can remarry, they did not accept it. They say that my marriage will not be valid without Hilla marriage. They did not allow me to offer prayers in the village mosque and attend the funeral for a long year and a half. Although I was invited to the Milad Mahfil, it was withdrawn under pressure from the elders.

They even told me that I could not work as a daily wage worker on someone’s land in the village. That is why no one hires me. When I went to the mosque to offer prayers due to being ‘excommunicated’ (excommunicated), a section of the elders beat me and broke my hand. I have filed a case against them.

Village elders Md. Milton said, “Abdul Jalil has committed anti-social acts. For this reason, the people of the village have made him ‘ekghor’ (excommunicated).” When asked about Abdul Jalil’s ‘anti-social’ actions, he said, ‘Abdul Jalil divorced his wife and took another wife instead of marrying Hilla. This is an anti-social act.

Chairman of Raykali Union Abdur Rashid Mandal said, ‘Abdul Jalil is the son of a freedom fighter. He divorced his wife in anger. The village elders ostracized Abdul Jalil from the society in this incident. Abdul Jalil complained to the UNO sir. The UNO sir gave me the responsibility of resolving the incident. I called both parties to the UP office for a meeting. I told them that Abdul Jalil can socialize. Abdul Jalil was beaten up as a result of the incident of being kept in isolation. I learned that his left hand was broken.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Akkelpur Police Station Shafiqul Islam said, ‘Abdul Jalil filed a complaint with the Pramanik Police Station. The complaint was investigated and the truth of the incident was found, so it was recorded as a case. ‘

Upazila Executive Officer Manjurul Alam said, ‘Segregation is a social crime. After a complaint was received regarding this, instructions were given to the Union Parishad Chairman to resolve the matter. Necessary action will be taken after investigating the matter.