Housewife Burned to Death, Husband and In-laws on the Run

In Bagha upazila of Rajshahi, a housewife named Munni Khatun (26) was allegedly burned to death after diesel was poured on her body. She died on Saturday (November 1) afternoon while undergoing treatment at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital (RMCH). Following the incident, her husband, Suruj Ali (28), and his parents have been absconding.

According to local sources, about 10 years ago, Munni Khatun, daughter of Masud Rana from Chak Narayanpur village in Bagha, married Suruj Ali, son of Shahidul Majhi from the same village. The couple had one son and one daughter.

Locals said that Suruj Ali had been addicted to drugs for a long time. To finance his addiction, he often tortured his wife and pressured her to bring money from her father’s home. On Friday night, a quarrel broke out between them over the same issue. At one point, Suruj poured diesel, stored for irrigation, on Munni and set her on fire.

Hearing her screams, family members rushed in, extinguished the fire, and took her to Bagha Upazila Health Complex. As her condition was critical, the attending doctor, Dr. Akhil Pal, referred her to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital. Upon hearing the news, her father, Masud Rana, came from his workplace in Dhaka.

Around 5 p.m., Munni succumbed to her injuries at RMCH’s emergency department. Hospital spokesperson Dr. Shankar Biswas said Munni was admitted to the burn unit in the morning. Later, her family sought permission to take her to Dhaka for better treatment, and a discharge was issued. However, her condition deteriorated shortly after, and she was brought back to the hospital, where doctors declared her dead in the afternoon.

Bagha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) A.F.M. Asaduzzaman said that the victim’s father verbally informed him of the incident on Saturday night. He is expected to file a formal case after his daughter’s funeral. However, no written complaint has been received yet.

khaborwala/TSN