In a final blow to the legacy of the slain spiritual leader, the local administration on Sunday (April 12) denied permission to bury Pir Sufi Shamim on the grounds of his own Darbar—the very site where he was lynched and his sanctuary torched just a day prior.
Yielding to the lingering tension and the shadow of the mob’s fury, authorities forced the family to relocate the burial to a local public graveyard.
Denied a Final Sanctuary
Following a post-mortem examination, the body of Abdur Rahman, known to his followers as Shamim Shah, was returned to his village in Philipnagar. While followers and family members had hoped to lay him to rest within the “Shamim Babar Darbar Sharif” complex, the administration intervened.
Citing “security concerns” and the potential for further provocation from the same groups that instigated Saturday’s violence, officials refused to allow a grave at the shrine. This decision effectively ensured that the victim was barred from his own home even in death.
Burial Under Heavy Guard
On Sunday afternoon, amidst a heavy police presence and a palpable sense of unease, Pir Sufi Shamim was buried at the Philipnagar village graveyard. The funeral was a somber, restricted affair, starkly contrasting with the violent chaos that claimed his life 24 hours earlier.
The Mob’s Lingering Shadow
Observers note that the administration’s refusal to allow burial at the shrine highlights a troubling reality: the state is struggling to protect even the remains of those targeted by vigilante groups. By forcing the burial elsewhere, the mob’s “sentence” against the shrine seems to have been finalized by official decree.
While the fire at the Darbar has been extinguished, the social fabric of Daulatpur remains scorched. Extra security forces continue to patrol the Philipnagar area to prevent the “frenzied crowd” from mobilizing again.
