A Dhaka court on Tuesday sent Maksuda Islam, the first wife of lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam, to jail after a one-day remand in a case filed over the alleged instigation of the suicide of his second wife, Mariam.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ripon Hossain passed the order after Investigation Officer Inspector Mohammad Salauddin of the DB Tejgaon Zonal Team produced Maksuda before the court and sought an order to send her to jail.
The investigation officer told the court that important information related to the case had been obtained during her interrogation and would assist the investigation.
Rafiqul Islam, an SI of the prosecution department, said no bail petition was filed on behalf of Maksuda.
Mariam’s father, SM Masum Billah, filed the case on Sunday night, accusing Gazi Nazrul, Maksuda and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman of instigating her suicide.
Police recovered Mariam’s hanging body from a flat at NAM Bhaban opposite the parliament building on Sunday evening.
Later that night, Gazi Nazrul and Maksuda were taken into custody.
The following day, a court granted four days’ remand for Gazi Nazrul and one day for Maksuda. The investigation was later handed over to the DB.
What the FIR says
According to the FIR, Mariam, 19, married Gazi Nazrul in June under the “direct instigation” of her maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman.
After the marriage, Mariam lived with Nazrul and Maksuda at House 203 of NAM Bhaban opposite the parliament building.
The FIR said, Mariam told her family that Nazrul and Maksuda physically and mentally tortured her over various issues after the marriage.
At around 5:30pm on Sunday, Nazrul called Mariam’s father and asked him to go to the residence quickly. When he arrived, he found his daughter hanging, according to the FIR.
Several handwritten notes were also found on Mariam’s bed, according to the FIR.
The FIR alleged that Mariam wrote about her mental distress, feeling deceived and frustration over a romantic relationship in the notes.
According to the FIR, Mariam may have died by suicide between 3pm and 5:30pm on Sunday.
Gazi Nazrul expelled from Jamaat
The case follows a controversy surrounding Gazi Nazrul and Mariam that began after a video of the two at a hotel in Dhaka’s Moghbazar went viral on social media on the night of July 20.
Jamaat leaders and activists initially claimed that the video had been created using artificial intelligence.
Gazi Nazrul later said in a Facebook post that Mariam was his second wife.
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami subsequently decided to expel him on July 22, saying an organizational investigation had found allegations of moral misconduct to be proven.
The opposition party later informed the speaker and the Election Commission of the decision through letters.