National Citizen Party Convener Nahid Islam on Monday condemned an incident in Pirojpur in which people were obstructed from burying a body, adding that similar past injustices also needed scrutiny.

On Saturday, Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists in Pirojpur opposed the burial of freedom fighter Manik Pashari in his family graveyard.

Pashari had testified before the International Crimes Tribunal against former Jamaat leader Delwar Hossain Sayeedi in a case involving crimes against humanity committed during the Liberation War. He was eventually buried under police protection.

Highlighting the issue, Nahid said in a Facebook post, “The right to perform funeral prayers and the right to bury a body are the most basic human and religious rights of any person. The fascist Awami League had stripped people of even these basic rights in Bangladesh.”

He said such scenes should not be repeated in Bangladesh after the July uprising.

Nahid recalled how “Mujibist fascists” did not allow the bodies of Piash Karim and Al Mahmud to be brought to the Shaheed Minar, nor did they allow ordinary people to pay their respects.

He wrote that many opposition leaders were not allowed to have their funeral prayers held in Dhaka.

“But after the mass uprising, a funeral prayer was held in Dhaka for fascist Tofail, a leader of the Rakkhi Bahini. A funeral prayer was also held for Awami League leader AKM Rahmatullah in my own area. Condolences were also expressed in accordance with parliamentary convention,” he added.

The Dhaka-11 MP and Opposition Chief Whip said they would continue to speak up for human rights, as justice must also be upheld towards their enemies.

However, he said, this had not been the case for everyone.

“Many are speaking about human rights today. That is good. However, many did not speak up for 16 years. When the horrific massacre took place across the country following the verdict against Maulana Delwar Hossain Sayeedi, many human rights activists in Dhaka remained silent,” he said.

If human rights were the issue, those killings must also be brought to justice, he added.

Nahid further said that consent was still being manufactured on a continual basis to exhume Shaheed Osman Hadi's grave.

“But despite all this, we cannot follow the path of the fascists. We must establish justice in opposition to fascism. Therefore, I condemn the incident in Pirojpur in which people were obstructed from burying a body. We will stand for the human dignity and human rights of all citizens,” he said.

Earlier the day, physician and politician Tasnim Jara criticised Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and activists over the incident.

"While still in opposition, they are obstructing burials in people's own homesteads. What will they do if they come to power?" Jara wrote in a post.