A tragic sequence of events unfolded in Betua village of Raiganj Upazila, Sirajganj, on Tuesday, where a mother passed away only hours after the death of her son. The community remains in mourning following the double bereavement, which saw the pair laid to rest in adjacent graves on the same day.
The ordeal began at approximately 8:00 am on Tuesday when 60-year-old Saiful Islam Sarkar, who had been suffering from a prolonged illness, died at his residence. As family members and relatives gathered to mourn his passing, preparations for his final rites commenced. By 1:00 pm, his body was transported to a local graveyard for the funeral prayer and burial.
While the funeral proceedings were underway, Saiful’s 90-year-old mother, Tara Banu, succumbed to her grief shortly after. According to the family, she passed away at 1:15 pm, unable to withstand the shock of losing her son. Tara Banu was a mother of nine children, and the family had already suffered the loss of her husband two decades ago, alongside another son who had passed away previously.
Sanwar Hossain, a member of the 4th Ward of Dhubil Union Parishad, confirmed the incident, stating that the burial of the son was completed at the Betua Dakshinpara graveyard around noon, followed by the burial of the mother in an adjacent grave later that afternoon.
Reflecting on the tragedy, Mostafa Zaman, the head of a local educational institution in the Salanga area, expressed profound sorrow on behalf of the village. He noted that the community has been gripped by a deep sense of loss following the back-to-back deaths, and he offered prayers for the eternal peace of both mother and son.
