A Dhaka court has received a complaint seeking legal action against four individuals, including the husband and in-laws of physician Nafisa Tabassum Dhipra, over allegations of abuse, negligence, and attempts to conceal evidence in connection with her death.
Md Mashiur Rahman Shah filed the application in the court of Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana on Tuesday under Sections 304(A), 193, 197, 201, 109, and 34 of the Penal Code.
The court has accepted the application and kept it pending for an order.
According to the petition, four individuals have been named as accused, along with several unidentified persons.
The named accused are Siddika Sultana, the victim’s mother-in-law; Dr Rahmat Rashid, her husband; Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid, Head of the Cardiac Department at BIRDEM Hospital and her father-in-law; and Editor of Earki, Simu Naser.
The information was confirmed by the complainant’s lawyer, Farhad Hossain.
According to the complaint, Dhipra and Rahmat Rashid were classmates who married after a romantic relationship. They have a two-year-old son.
The complaint alleges that because Dhipra came from a less affluent family, the accused subjected her to physical and mental torture from the beginning of the marriage.
This continuous abuse reportedly led to severe depression.
Following the birth of her son, she also suffered from post-partum depression, high blood pressure, and diabetes.
The complaint further asserts that despite the husband and father-in-law being physicians themselves, they intentionally neglected her medical expenses and obstructed her efforts to prepare for the FCPS examinations.
Shortly before her death,. Dhipra had reportedly shared details of the domestic abuse she was facing in a Facebook group titled ‘Female Doctors in Bangladesh’.
The plaintiff alleges that from 2 June, Dhipra was locked in a room for three consecutive days. During this period, she was reportedly denied food and was not allowed to see her child. On 4 June, after learning of the situation, Dhipra’s mother went to the family’s residence at Bosoti Green in Dhanmondi.
Upon finding her daughter locked away, she requested her son-in-law to open the door.
After being released, Dhipra reportedly embraced her mother and said, “Mother, I want to eat rice.” Moments later, she collapsed on the floor, according to the complaint.
As soon as she was released, Dhipra reportedly embraced her mother and said, “Mother, I want to eat rice,” before immediately collapsing on the floor.
The application claims that instead of immediately taking her to the nearest hospital, the accused intentionally delayed arranging medical treatment. It further claims that Mohammad Abdur Rashid used his influence to have her transported to BIRDEM Hospital, a more distant facility, and that Dhipra died on the way there.
The complaint further alleges that the accused used their influence to bypass a mandatory autopsy and quickly issued a death certificate to facilitate a hurried burial.
The plaintiff contends that this was not a natural death but a “premeditated murder” and a deliberate attempt to destroy evidence.
Farhad Hossain, the lawyer for the plaintiff, stated that legal action was delayed initially because the accused are highly influential and the victim’s parents were in a state of helplessness.
The petition seeks arrest warrants for the accused and calls for exemplary punishment following a thorough investigation.
