The woman who was dragged and killed by a private vehicle in Dhaka University (DU) area was a victim of murder, not an accident, said Deputy Commissioner (DC) of Ramna Division of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Md Shahidullah.
“The woman's brother-in-law, who was in a motorcycle, also got injured during the crash,” he said at a press conference at Shahbag police station on Friday.
The Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Shahbag police station Noor Mohammad was also present at the time.
“When the victim, Rubina Akhter, was hit by the car, she got stuck under the vehicle. The driver, who is a former DU faculty, kept dragging her till Dhaka's Neelkhet area before being stopped,” he added.
He noted that people tried to stop the car when they noticed a body and blood stains on the road, but the driver did not stop.
When asked if the former DU prof was intoxicated, Shahidullah responded: "I was going to the police station to talk to him, but as he is admitted to a hospital after a public beating, I cannot confirm the matter. But, doctors can.”
“Legal action will be taken after an investigation, whether the former teacher was in a normal state or not,” the DC added.
According to the family, Rubina Akhter is the wife of late Mahbubur Rahman Khan Dollar of Tejgaon. She has a son named Rohan.
On Friday, Rubina died after being hit by a private car and dragged several hundred yards at the Dhaka University campus.
The driver was identified as Azhar Zafar Shah, a former teacher at Dhaka University's (DU) International Relations Department.
The victim died while undergoing treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) at around 4:45pm, confirmed DMCH police outpost In-Charge Bachchu Mia.
Witnesses said that it appeared that a person was stuck under a private car going from TSC to Neelkhet area at around 3:30pm.
The blood stains on the road later led people to believe there was a person underneath the car. However, the driver did not stop the vehicle and dragged her several hundred yards.
Locals seized the car when it reached Neelkhet. At that time, Rubina Akhter was in a critical condition.
OC of Shahabag police station Noor Mohammad said: "We have seized the private car but no case has been filed yet."
Azhar was sacked from the university in 2018 due to his prolonged absence.