Schoolgirl's Body Recovered From a Wetland in Gaibandha Two Days After She Went Missing
Police have recovered the body of a schoolgirl, Shammi Akter, 12, in Gobindaganj upazila of Gaibandha, two days after she went missing. The body was found floating on Tuesday morning (20 October) in the Garamara wetland in the Puntair area of the upazila.
Shammi was the daughter of Shahidur Rahman of Puntair (Nama Charpara) village in Mahimaganj Union of Gobindaganj upazila. She was a fifth-grade student at Puntair Government Primary School. The death of the physically disabled student has cast a pall of grief over her family and the area.
Police said Shammi went missing on Sunday afternoon (18 October) after returning home from school. Family members then searched relatives' homes and every likely place, but found no trace of her.
Failing to find their daughter, the family filed a general diary (GD) at the police station that same night. Even after the GD, there was no news of Shammi for two days, and the family's anxiety kept growing.
On Tuesday morning, local people saw a body floating in the Garamara wetland beside the house and informed the police. On receiving the news, police from Gobindaganj station went to the spot and recovered the body.
Sub-Inspector Asaduzzaman of Gobindaganj police station, the officer responsible for the incident, confirmed the recovery of the body. He led the recovery operation.
SI Asaduzzaman said no injury marks were found on the child's body during the inquest. The girl was physically disabled. It is initially believed that she may have died while going to pick water lilies (shapla) in the wetland.
Picking water lilies in wetlands and water bodies is a familiar activity for children in rural areas. But this incident is a reminder of the extra risk that going near water creates for a disabled child.
Gobindaganj police station's officer-in-charge Mahfuz Alam said Shammi's body was recovered from the spot after receiving information from local people. An unnatural death (UD) case has been filed at the station over the incident.
The UD case investigation will determine the exact cause of death. Although no injury marks were found in the inquest, those concerned believe the post-mortem report will play an important role in this regard.
The initial belief points towards an accidental death. However, police are reportedly not ruling out any possibility until the investigation is complete.
Although the recovery of Shammi's body has ended two days of anxiety, questions remain about where she was during those two days after going missing. The full picture of the incident will become clear from the investigation and the post-mortem report.
