The body of Deputy Speaker Md Fazle Rabbi Miah, who died in hospital care in the United States at the age of 76, has arrived in Dhaka, bdnews24.com reports.
An Emirates flight carrying his coffin arrived at Dhaka's Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 8:30 am on Monday, said Swapan Biswas, public relations officer for the deputy speaker.
State Minister for Civil Aviation and Tourism Md Mahbub Ali, former Minister of Shipping Shajahan Khan, family members of Fazle Rabbi, and Parliament Secretariat officials were present at the airport to receive his body.
After the completion of formalities at the airport, a freezer van carrying the deputy speaker's coffin left for the National Eidgah field adjacent to the Supreme Court around 9 am.
Rabbi's funeral prayers were scheduled for 10:30 am at the Eidgah field. His coffin will be kept there for some time to allow people to pay their respects.
In the afternoon, the body will be flown to Saghata Upazila in Gaibandha by helicopter. Later, the coffin will be taken to Gatia village after more funeral prayers at the Bharat Khali High School grounds. He will be buried at the family graveyard after a final round of prayers.
Rabbi, a member of the Bangladesh parliament, was admitted to Mount Sinai hospital in New York for cancer treatment nine months ago. He passed away at 4 pm New York time on Friday.
He was elected to parliament as an Awami League candidate for the seventh time from the Gaibandha-5 seat (Phulchhari-Saghata) in the 2018 national polls.
Rabbi was born in Batia village of Gaibandha's Saghata Upazila in 1946.
He made his first foray into politics in 1958 when he participated in the Awami League's campaign opposing the imposition of martial law following a military coup led by Ayub Khan. He was only an eighth-grader at the time.
He also fought against the Pakistani occupation forces in sector 11 during the Liberation War in 1971.
Rabbi leaves behind three daughters and grandchildren. His wife Anwara Begum passed away in 2020.
