With No Land of His Own, Sherpur Man Buried Inside His Own Home as Wife Lives on the Other Side

In Shalmara, in Tatihati union of Sreebardi upazila in Sherpur, a 60-year-old man, Abdul Karim, has been buried inside his own home, with one side of the house broken open for the grave, because he owned no other land. The burial took place on Monday morning, 26 October.

Abdul Karim was the son of the late Shamser Ali of Shalmara village. Relatives said he died on Sunday afternoon. After funeral prayers at 10am on Monday he was buried, and his wife, Sajeda Khatun, 55, is now living on the other side of the same house, beside the grave.

Family and local sources said Abdul Karim had no land other than his homestead, and the Shalmara area has no public graveyard apart from family graveyards.

Local people say families without a family graveyard of their own face severe difficulty for this reason. Some bury their dead in the yard, in front of the homestead or beside the house. As Abdul Karim had no land beyond the site of his house, he had to be buried inside the house itself.

Shalmara resident Masud Mia said they had long been demanding a public graveyard in Shalmara village from local representatives and civil society. As no one came forward, he said, Abdul Karim was buried in his own home, which he described as very sad and shameful.

Abdul Karim's daughters, Karfuli and Rikta Parveen, said they had no land other than the house plot, so they were forced to bury their father in the house. They demanded a public graveyard in the area so that no other relative or local person would have to be buried in a home.

Tatihati Union Parishad chairman Abdur Rauf said there is no public graveyard in the Shalmara area and that they had learned of the matter. He said that on Tuesday they would speak to the family and arrange burial at the nearby Shaitkakra public graveyard.

Sreebardi Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and executive magistrate Monisha Ahmed said she had heard about the burial inside the house and that a process was now under way to bury him at another place.