Malaysia police have initiated an investigation into the death of Bangladeshi student Irfan Siddiq in the country.
Police in Sarawak state on Friday informed the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur of the development in response to an email.
They also said they would keep the mission informed about any progress in the investigation.
Irfan was a student of management at the Kuching city campus of the Swinburne University of Technology in Sarawak, one of the thirteen provinces of Malaysia. He died on September 18.
As soon as news of the death came to his notice, Bangladesh High Commissioner to Malaysia Md Golam Sarwar sent an officer of the rank of counsellor to Sarawak the next day.
Earlier, the family of the deceased student, with the help of a DIG-rank officer of the Bangladesh Police, submitted a petition through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh to prevent any post-mortem and further investigation of the body, said a press release of the high commission issued on Tuesday.
Taking into account the sentiments of the family and written requests, authorities allowed the body to be sent back to Bangladesh without conducting an autopsy.
All ancillary preparations to send the body home were taken as usual.
The student is said to have been suffering from depression for the past few months.
He had reportedly informed the family about his mental state in the past and even told his mother that he would commit suicide, according to the mission's account set forth in the press release.
The family and the university authorities were reportedly aware of his disturbed state, but no one was able to take the steps that may have prevented such a tragic finale, which is very sad, added the high commission's release.
But since the family has called for a re-investigation, considering the seriousness of the matter, the Bangladesh High Commission in Kuala Lumpur wrote to the Malaysian government to reopen the investigation.
After his death, the family tried to blame the high commission, even though it had no prior information pertaining to the situation. It only became aware of the matter after his death, according to the press release.
The entire episode played out in Sarawak, the Malaysian part of the island of Borneo, whereas the Bangladesh mission is in Kuala Lumpur, located in what is known as peninsular Malaysia. The distance between KL and Sarawak is close to 1,300 kilometres, according to the high commission.
The distance notwithstanding, all Bangladeshis in Malaysia of course are to be served by the same mission. But the distance and location are pointed out to convey that there was no shared social scene or close-knit community through which the high commission or its officials could have become aware of the situation, without someone specifically informing it.
The mission in its press release also hit back at the family's allegations by questioning why the family had not sought any help from it earlier, despite knowing about the mental instability afflicting the student.
The high commission is being blamed only on the basis of what is heard from various media outlets and on the basis of perceptions, which is unexpected and sad on behalf of the family/relatives of the deceased student. Where the high commission has worked sincerely to fulfil the wishes of the family of the deceased student, it added