A Dhaka court on Tuesday ordered the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate a case filed over the alleged negligence-related death of physician Dr Nafisa Tabassum Dhipra in the capital’s Dhanmondi area and submit a report.
The complaint was filed by the victim’s relative Md Mashiur Rahman Shah before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana. After recording the complainant’s statement, the court directed the CID to conduct the investigation and submit a report.
The accused in the case are Dhipra’s husband Dr Rahmat Rashid; her father-in-law, Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid, head of the Cardiac Department at BIRDEM Hospital; her mother-in-law Siddiqa Sultana; and Simu Naser, editor of the satirical platform Earki.
The complainant’s counsel Farhad Hossain confirmed the matter.
According to the complaint, Dhipra and Rahmat met while studying together and later got married. The couple has a two-year-old son.
The complaint alleged that Dhipra, who came from a comparatively less affluent family, was subjected to prolonged physical and psychological abuse by the accused after her marriage. The sustained mistreatment led her to severe depression and that, following childbirth, she suffered from postpartum depression, high blood pressure and diabetes.
The complaint added that the accused, despite being medical professionals, deliberately neglected her medical needs by refusing to bear the costs of her treatment. It also claims that they obstructed her efforts to prepare for the Fellowship of the College of Physicians and Surgeons (FCPS) examination.
The case statement additionally noted that shortly before her death, Dhipra shared a post in the Facebook group “Female Doctors in Bangladesh,” detailing the domestic abuse she had allegedly endured.
The allegations contained in the complaint have yet to be independently verified, and no comments from the accused were immediately available.
The complainant also alleged that the accused confined Dhipra in a locked room for three consecutive days from June 2. During this period, she was allegedly denied food and prevented from seeing her two-year-old child.
According to the complaint, on June 4, after being informed of the situation, Dr Dhipra’s mother went to Flat No 43 at Road No 4/A in the Bashati Green residential area of Dhanmondi. Upon finding her daughter locked inside, she requested that the room be opened, after which Dr Dhipra’s husband unlocked the door.
Immediately after being released, Dr Dhipra reportedly embraced her mother and said, “Mother, I want to eat rice.” Moments later, she collapsed on the floor.
The complaint further alleges that after she collapsed, the accused delayed taking her to a hospital. Instead of providing immediate medical care, they allegedly used the influence of Dr Dhipra’s father-in-law, Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid, to arrange her transfer to the more distant BIRDEM Hospital, where she died en route.
It is further alleged that following her death, the accused used their influence to obtain a death certificate without conducting a post-mortem examination and hastily arranged her burial in an attempt to conceal the incident.
The complaint claims that Dr Dhipra’s death was not natural but a premeditated killing, and that subsequent actions were aimed at destroying evidence and covering up the alleged offence.
