Progressive crusader Mahfuza Khanam laid to eternal rest

Progressive people from all walks of life bade perpetual farewell to secular academic scholar and women rights pioneer Mahfuza Khanam on Wednesday. Mahfuza Khanam is former Law Minister Barrister Shafique Ahmed's wife and first female DUCSU Vice President. She died on Tuesday.

Mahfuza Khanam's corpse was placed on the altar of the Central Shaheed Minar in Dhaka city yesterday for some time to enable her colleagues, followers, comrades and cultural luminaries to pay last tribute to Mahfuza Khanam.

A guard of honour was accorded to Mahfuza Khanam. The bugle played the last post while the participants in the funeral rites observed one minute silence. Leaders of Khelaghor, Chhatra Union, Communist Party of Bangladesh, Udichi Cultural Group, Guerilla 1971 and Asiatic Society paid homage to Mahfuza Khanam's coffin with flowers.

Prominent citizens have said that Mahfuza Khanam will remain immortal in the minds of patriotic people across Bangladesh for the humanistic and egalitarian values she practiced and promoted. Later on she was buried in the capital's Azimpur Graveyard. Earlier on her funeral prayer was conducted at Dhaka University central mosque.

Mahfuza Khanam suddenly felt sick on Tuesday morning. She was rushed to a hospital on Green Road where duty doctors declared her dead.

>>R R Badhan, AA