Death of Comilla University student Farzana Islam in Fatullah: case filed against husband and six others
The body of Farzana Islam, a student of the pharmacy department of Comilla University (CoU) from the 2019-20 session, was recovered from a rented house in Fatullah, Narayanganj. Farzana's father has filed a case against seven people including her husband Nazmul Alam over the incident. The case alleges torture over dowry demands and abetment of suicide.
Sub-Inspector (SI) of Fatullah Model Police Station and the case's investigating officer Gazi Suman Mahtab confirmed the matter on Monday night (26 October).
The other accused are Abdur Rahim (50), Afroza Begum (45), Saima Akter (25), Russell (42), Saiful Alam (36) and Rokeya Begum (68). The complaint states that all of their homes are in the Talukdar Bari area of Nurpur in Kachua upazila of Chandpur.
According to the complaint, Farzana married Nazmul Alam in November 2023. Farzana's father alleges that since the marriage, Nazmul and his family members tortured Farzana physically and mentally demanding dowry.
After attempts at a family settlement brought no response, he filed a CR case in a Brahmanbaria court. Later, after a settlement between the two sides, Farzana resumed living with her husband, the complaint states.
The complaint further says that on 20 October Farzana went to her husband's rented house in Fatullah. After the evening of 24 October, Farzana's father learned from other tenants of the house and local people that the couple had argued over domestic matters and the earlier case. At that time Nazmul allegedly insulted her and told her to die by suicide if she did not like living together, the complaint alleges.
According to the complaint, at around 9pm that day Farzana's husband's brother-in-law Abdur Rahim phoned her father to say Farzana had hanged herself in the bedroom. On hearing the news, family members went to the house and found her body. Police then went to the scene, prepared an inquest report and sent the body to the morgue of Narayanganj General Hospital for autopsy. The incident took place on the night of 24 October at her husband's rented house in Fatullah.
Farzana's father further claimed in the complaint that his daughter chose the path of suicide because of her husband's torture and instigation. The complaint also mentions a handwritten note by Farzana.
A different account has come from the family about the note. Farzana's brother Ariful Islam claims the note was written more than two and a half months ago. Ariful said Nazmul had also shown the letter when he came to take her back home after a settlement with Farzana's family. He said at first they found no letter beside the body and did not see police recover a letter either; later police said a note had been found beside Farzana.
Farzana's family alleges police did not cooperate with them in filing the case. Farzana's elder brother Ariful Islam said: 'Police did not cooperate with us in taking the case. At first they did not want to take the case. Later, after talking to the SP, they agreed to take it.' He also raised objections over how the complaint was written.
Investigating officer Gazi Suman Mahtab said on the matter: 'A case has been filed under section 306 for abetment of suicide. We have arrested the main accused. If the investigation brings up the name of any other accused, we will arrest them too. We primarily consider this a suicide. If it was a planned murder, and that comes out in the autopsy, there will be another case.'
Denying the allegation of non-cooperation in taking the case, he said it was the family's misunderstanding. According to him, it was the police who could not bring the family to the police station even after phoning them.
