Bangladeshi Man Sentenced to Death for Dowry Murder of Wife

A special tribunal in Netrokona has sentenced a 42-year-old man to death for the brutal torture and murder of his wife over unmet dowry demands. The convict, Shafiqul Islam, was also ordered to pay a fine of 10,000 Taka. Failure to clear the financial penalty will result in an additional six months of rigorous imprisonment.

Judge AKM Emdadul Haque of the Netrokona Prevention of Women and Children Repression Tribunal delivered the verdict on Wednesday afternoon. The court acquitted Shafiqul’s parents, Torab Ali and Sokhina Khatun, as the prosecution failed to establish their direct involvement beyond reasonable doubt. The convict was present in the dock when the sentence was handed down, before being escorted back to prison under tight security.

Case records indicate that Parvin Akter, the daughter of Sona Mia from Ratnapur village in Barhatta Upazila, married Shafiqul, a resident of Khudram Sidhli village in Kalmakanda Upazila, approximately a decade ago. The couple shared two sons during their marriage. However, domestic harmony quickly deteriorated as Shafiqul and his immediate family began harassing Parvin for financial assets shortly after the nuptials.

The conflict escalated severely on 25 March 2019, when Shafiqul demanded a fresh dowry payment of 100,000 Taka from Parvin. Recognising her father’s financial constraints, she refused to comply with the demand. This defiance provoked a violent assault, forcing Parvin to flee the marital home and seek refuge at her paternal residence. Although local community leaders and public representatives later mediated an apparent reconciliation through an informal settlement, the resolution proved short-lived. Parvin returned to her husband’s home, only to meet a tragic end.

Less than a month after the local mediation, during the early hours of 26 April 2019, Parvin’s family received news of her sudden demise. Upon rushing to the residence, her relatives discovered her lifeless body abandoned on the veranda of the house. The initial police report detailed numerous external injuries across her body, suggesting physical trauma prior to her death. Investigators subsequently prepared an inquest report and transferred the body to the Netrokona Modern Sadar Hospital morgue for an official post-mortem examination.

Following the incident, the victim’s brother, Mohammad Abu Yousuf, initiated criminal proceedings by filing a formal complaint at the Kalmakanda Police Station under the Prevention of Women and Children Repression Act. The case explicitly named Shafiqul, his parents, and several unidentified individuals as co-conspirators.

Public Prosecutor Mohammad Nurul Kabir Rubel expressed satisfaction with the judicial outcome, noting that the tribunal carefully evaluated detailed testimonies from twelve prosecution witnesses before arriving at its decision. Legal experts view the capital punishment ruling as a stern message against the enduring social evil of dowry-related violence in rural communities.