Nazma Khatun was found dead at her home in Paschim Naora village, in Dhamshreni Union, at around midday on Sunday. Local residents alleged that the mediation over her relationship and a proposed marriage left her facing social humiliation. However, the circumstances surrounding her death have yet to be established, and the police have sent her body for a post-mortem examination.
Police sent the body to the Kurigram morgue on Monday as part of the investigation. Nazma’s brother has filed an unnatural death case, according to the officer-in-charge of Ulipur Police Station.
Relationship reportedly began on Facebook
According to Nazma’s relatives and local residents, she was the daughter of Abdul Khaleque, who lives in Paschim Naora. Nazma had been living separately from her husband.
About six months ago, she became acquainted on Facebook with a man who introduced himself as Saidur Rahman Palash. Their acquaintance reportedly developed into a romantic relationship.
Her relatives alleged that the man claimed to be a member of the railway police and obtained gold jewellery and Tk 30,000 from Nazma by giving various explanations. The allegations have not been independently verified, and the man’s response was not available.
On Friday evening, the man went to Paschim Naora to meet Nazma. Local people became suspicious of his identity and presence and detained the pair.
A marriage was reportedly arranged that night with the consent of both individuals. However, when the man was asked to provide his national identity card for the marriage registration, doubts emerged about his identity.
Local residents claimed that the man known as Palash was actually Dulal Chandra, 53, the son of Amal Chandra of Khochabari village in Pandul Union, also in Ulipur. The proposed marriage was subsequently called off, and Dulal was kept in custody overnight by local residents.
Allegations of a financial settlement
A mediation meeting was reportedly held at a location in Ulipur municipal town on Saturday night, following the incident.
According to local residents, those present included Shahidul Islam, general secretary of the Dhamshreni Union BNP unit; Shafi Kamal, its joint general secretary; and Ziaul Haque Badal, member secretary of the Pandul Union BNP unit, along with several other local people.
Allegations have emerged that the matter was settled in exchange for money and that Dulal was released without informing those who had initially detained him. The claims have raised questions about the circumstances of the meeting and the process through which the settlement was reached.
However, Shahidul Islam acknowledged attending the mediation meeting but offered a different account of what happened.
He said the matter was sensitive and that a settlement had been reached in the presence of relatives from both sides. According to him, the man concerned was fined Tk 120,000 as compensation, which was handed over to Nazma’s relatives in front of those attending the meeting.
His account presents the payment as compensation under a mutual settlement, while local allegations have focused on whether money was exchanged to secure the man’s release.
Attempts to contact Ziaul Haque Badal for comment were unsuccessful, as his mobile phone was switched off. No response from the other people named in connection with the mediation was available.
Woman found dead the following day
Local residents alleged that Nazma struggled to cope with the prospect of social humiliation following the breakdown of the proposed marriage and the mediation over her relationship. They suspect that the pressure may have contributed to her death.
On Sunday afternoon, relatives found her body inside the family’s cowshed, with a scarf wrapped around a beam. The police subsequently recovered the body and took it into their custody.
Although local accounts have linked her death to the events surrounding the mediation, the precise circumstances and cause of death remain unconfirmed. The allegations concerning social pressure have not been established as a finding of the investigation.
The post-mortem examination is expected to assist in determining the cause of death, while the unnatural death case filed by Nazma’s brother provides the basis for further police inquiries.
Officer-in-charge of Ulipur Police Station Shawkat Ali Sarker confirmed that the body had been sent to the Kurigram morgue for post-mortem examination. He also confirmed that Nazma’s brother had filed an unnatural death case.
The incident has drawn attention to the questions surrounding the mediation, the alleged financial settlement and the events preceding Nazma’s death. Establishing what happened will require investigators to examine the circumstances of the meeting, verify the claims made by local residents and those who attended it, and determine whether any connection can be established between the events and her death.
