In a dramatic turn of events, S.M. Masum Billah, the father of late 19-year-old Morium Khatun, has reached a formal settlement with Member of Parliament Gazi Nazrul Islam and his family regarding the case of abetment to suicide filed following his daughter’s tragic death.
Appearing before the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah in Dhaka on Wednesday, 30 September, Mr Billah submitted a sworn affidavit on behalf of the accused. In his official statement, he informed the magistrate that he has no objection to granting bail to Gazi Nazrul Islam, the lawmaker representing the Satkhira-4 constituency, and his first wife, Maksuda Islam, both of whom are currently in judicial custody. Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqui and defence lawyer Mahbubur Rahman confirmed the recording of the complainant’s deposition.
The unexpected legal compromise follows intense police questioning and public scrutiny. Earlier in the week, Parliamentarian Gazi Nazrul Islam was remanded into police custody for eight days across two separate phases before being sent back to prison on Monday. According to progress reports presented to the court by the investigating officer, police inquiries revealed evidence that Morium had been subjected to continuous physical and mental abuse in the lead-up to her death. Investigators highlighted that within the assigned Nam Bhaban flat, Gazi Nazrul resided in the primary bedroom with his first wife, Maksuda, whilst his second wife, Morium, was frequently forced to spend nights on an adjacent balcony.
The case originates from the discovery of Morium Khatun’s body on the evening of 20 September. Officers from the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station recovered her body hanging from a ceiling fan inside flat number 203 of the Nam Bhaban residential compound. Because the bedroom door was locked from the inside, law enforcement personnel, with assistance from the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), broke into the apartment to gain access. Several handwritten suicide notes were retrieved from the room during forensic sweeps.
The day following the recovery, Mr Billah launched formal legal proceedings, accusing Gazi Nazrul, Maksuda Islam, and Morium’s maternal uncle, Obaidur Rahman, of driving his daughter to suicide. Police arrested the lawmaker and his first wife that same night. Maksuda Islam was subsequently remanded for one day before being remanded to judicial custody alongside her husband, where both remain pending further court directives.
