A widow in Fulbaria upazila of Mymensingh, whose photograph, photocopy of National Identity (NID) card, and thumbprint were collected on promise of providing a government “family card,” subsequently discovered that her thumbprint and photograph were used to fabricate a marriage deed.
The woman now asserts that she married no one, while both the marriage registrar and listed witnesses deny any involvement in or knowledge of the marriage. Despite two rounds of local arbitration, the accused individuals have failed to appear.
According to local sources, the victim, Asiya Begum, 43, a widow from Patuli village under Putijana union in Fulbaria upazila, was approached by local Jamaat-e-Islami associate member Abdus Sattar, who offered to arrange a family card for her and obtained a copy of her NID and photograph.
Shortly afterwards, Sattar called her again to take her thumbprint on a document, claiming it was a required procedure for preparing the government card.
A few days later, the matter became public and created a sensation across the area as news spread that Asiya had reportedly gotten married. She was subsequently shown a marriage deed and an affidavit indicating her marriage to her long-time acquaintance, Abdul Kuddus.
Although her thumbprint appears on the Kabinnama, Asiya insists that she attended no wedding ceremony, never met the marriage registrar, and gave no consent to marry. Intense discussions and local salish meetings are currently underway in Patuli village regarding the incident.
Asiya said her husband, Abu Kalam, died approximately 13 years ago. Since then, she raised her two sons by working as a day labourer, and both sons are now married and have children of their own.
She mentioned that although she received marriage proposals at various times following her husband’s death, she chose not to remarry for the sake of her children.
Speaking to a group of journalists at her residence, Asiya explained that around one and a half months ago, local Jamaat activist Abdus Sattar promised to secure a family card for her, leading her to hand over her NID copy and photograph in good faith.
She was later called back to provide a thumbprint as she cannot sign. She subsequently discovered that the thumbprint was used to prepare a marriage deed.
She expressed shock that after taking her thumbprint under the guise of a family card, people are now claiming she is married, reaffirming that she never went anywhere to marry or faced any marriage registrar.
The man named as the groom in the circulated news, Abdul Kuddus, resides near Patuli Bazar. A visit to his residence revealed he was absent; however, his wife Sufia Khatun, a son, a daughter, and grandchildren were present.
Sufia Khatun said her husband had been away from home since Wednesday morning without informing her about any marriage.
She disclosed that after the matter became public, Kuddus informed her that he had performed a “court marriage.” Sufia added that she tried to reason with him repeatedly, but he refused to listen to anyone.
The circulated Kabinnama indicates that the marriage was solemnised by Golam Mustafa, registrar for Wards 1, 2, and 3 of Fulbaria Municipality. The dower was set at Tk2,50,000, with Tk50,000 recorded as paid in cash.
The document names Abdul Mannan and Saiful Islam as witnesses. However, witness Saiful Islam stated that he never signed or stood witness to any such deed, demanding exemplary punishment if such a deed was forged using his name.
When contacted over the phone at around 10:30am on Thursday, the registrar informed journalists that he did not conduct the marriage and declared the circulated marriage deed to be fake.
Local residents stated that Asiya and Abdul Kuddus were acquainted prior to the incident, with Kuddus having acted as the guardian representative during her son’s wedding.
Kuddus had offered to marry Asiya on multiple occasions in the past, but she had consistently declined. Following her husband’s death, several others had also proposed to her, but she turned them down considering her children’s future.
On Monday and Wednesday, local salish sessions were convened in Patuli village, chaired by rural doctor (pallichikitsak) Mohammad Rustam Ali.
During the salish, Asiya said her thumbprint had been collected under the false pretext of a family card, and the witnesses listed in the marriage deed also testified that they knew nothing about the marriage.
Rustam Ali said, “We are verifying how this happened. If it cannot be resolved through arbitration, legal action will be taken.” He said neither of the accused, Abdus Sattar nor Abdul Kuddus, attended the salish.
A deadline until Friday has been set for Abdus Sattar to clarify his position, after which further steps will be decided.
Meanwhile, Abdus Sattar denied taking Asiya’s thumbprint under the pretext of a family card.
Sattar, a cosmetics trader at Patuli Bazar who served as a polling centre committee associate member in Ward 4 of Putijana union during the last national parliamentary election and identifies as a Jamaat associate member, described the allegation as completely false.
He claimed he was being framed due to a local land dispute. Upazila Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Md Fazlul Haque told journalists that after learning of the incident, he inquired through local leaders.
He claimed Sattar is not a regular portfolio-holding leader of Jamaat, but was an associate member of a centre committee during the election, having previously been associated with BNP.
Fazlul said, “We are looking into the matter. We want the real culprits tried according to law. However, based on primary information, it appears the incident might be staged or motivated.”
Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Fulbaria Police Station Mohammad Rashedul Hasan told TIMES that police have heard about the incident through social media and journalists, but no written complaint has been lodged at the police station yet.
He remarked that without a written complaint, police cannot take legal action or ascertain the truth or baselessness of the matter.
He assured, however, that if anyone has defrauded someone in the name of providing a family card, legal action will definitely be taken against them.
