A Dhaka court on Monday placed Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam on a four-day remand and his first wife Maksuda Islam on a one-day remand in a case filed over allegedly abetting his second wife, Mariam Khatun, to commit suicide.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam passed the order after Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station Sub-Inspector Shamsuddoha Sarker, also the investigating officer, produced the couple before the court and sought a seven-day remand for the two accused.
Police produced Nazrul and Maksuda before the court around 3:11pm.
During the hearing, Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruki argued in favour of the remand on behalf of the state, saying investigators needed to question the accused to establish the circumstances surrounding Mariam’s death.
He alleged that Nazrul had used his influence and that driver Obaidur Rahman had played a role in bringing about the marriage between Nazrul and Mariam.
He also referred to allegations that Mariam had subsequently been taken to several residential hotels and said cases had been filed over those incidents.
According to the prosecutor, Nazrul and Mariam lived in a flat at NAM Building in Dhaka, where Nazrul’s first wife Maksuda also resided.
He said police had recovered a handwritten note from the flat in which Mariam allegedly referred to physical and mental abuse, betrayal and severe emotional distress.
The prosecutor said that although the case was filed over alleged abetment to suicide, investigators also needed to determine whether there had been any plan to kill Mariam.
At one point, the prosecutor referred to Nazrul’s political background and began making a political statement. The magistrate stopped him and instructed him to confine his submissions to the case.
Defence lawyers, led by Mohammad Mahbubur Rahman, opposed the remand and sought bail for the two accused.
They argued that the remand plea did not cite any specific reason requiring custodial interrogation. The lawyers said Nazrul was a freedom fighter and a four-time MP, while both accused were elderly and willing to cooperate with the investigation.
In its remand application, police cited five grounds for seeking custody of the accused.
The application said Nazrul and Maksuda were present at the residence when Mariam allegedly committed suicide, and investigators needed to establish whether either of them had directly or indirectly instigated her to take her own life.
Police also said they needed to determine whether the accused had subjected Mariam to mental pressure, intimidation or other forms of coercion, or otherwise assisted or encouraged her to commit suicide.
Investigators also want to question them about the role of driver Obaidul Islam, who remains at large, identify his whereabouts and arrest him.
The police further sought to determine whether any other unidentified individuals were involved in the incident and to uncover the circumstances surrounding Mariam’s death.
Mariam’s father, SM Masum Billah, filed the case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station against Nazrul, Maksuda and driver Obaidul Islam.
According to the case statement, Mariam married Nazrul in June under Islamic law. Nazrul lived in Flat 203 of Building 5 at the NAM complex near Manik Mia Avenue, and Maksuda also lived in the same flat.
The complaint alleges that Nazrul and Maksuda subjected Mariam to physical and mental abuse after the marriage. Mariam had reportedly informed family members about the alleged abuse by phone on several occasions.
According to the complaint, at around 5:30pm on 20 September, Nazrul called Mariam’s father and asked him to come to the flat immediately.
Her father went there with her aunt, Sufia. They found the door to Mariam’s room locked from inside. Through a window, they allegedly saw her hanging from a ceiling fan with a scarf around her neck.
In the presence of police, Public Works Department employee Saidul Islam broke open the door with a crowbar and entered the room.
Police subsequently recovered a handwritten note from Mariam’s bed. The complaint says the note referred to betrayal, severe mental distress and problems in her relationship.
Mariam’s family alleges that Obaidul acted as an intermediary in the marriage and that Nazrul and Maksuda subsequently subjected her to abuse and provoked her to take her own life.
After an inquest, Mariam’s body was sent to the morgue of Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
