Police have arrested the husband of a student of Jahangirnagar University (JU) after her bloodied body was recovered from a rented house near the campus. He was sent to court on Monday with a plea for five days’ remand.
University authorities and several student organizations have expressed deep concern over the incident and demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible.
The deceased, Sharmin Jahan Khadija, was the daughter of Shahjahan Molla from Tetoy village in Kachua Upazila. Her husband, Fahim Al Hasan, is the son of Hanif Sarkar from Khairul village in Muradnagar Upazila.
Inspector (Investigation) Asgar Hossain of Ashulia Police Station said Fahim was initially detained for questioning immediately after the incident. Later, he was shown arrested in a case filed by Sharmin’s uncle Monirul Islam during the night.
Police produced him before court on Monday morning seeking a five-day remand.
According to the case statement, Sharmin was a fourth-year student of the Public Administration department at Jahangirnagar University, while Fahim was a fourth-year Economics student at Dhaka College.
After a romantic relationship, the couple married on June 24 last year and informed their families. In September, they rented a house in the Islamnagar area near the university and began living there.
The statement also mentioned that disputes arose between the couple over family matters soon after the marriage, which Sharmin had previously shared with her family members.
On Sunday around 4:45pm, Fahim called Sharmin’s uncle Monirul Islam and told him that Sharmin was seriously ill, asking him to come to their residence.
When Monirul arrived, he found Sharmin lying bloodied on a bed. With the help of neighbours, she was taken to Enam Medical College Hospital in Savar, where the on-duty doctor declared her dead.
The initial report mentioned a deep cut and bloodied wound on the right side of Sharmin’s forehead and above her head.
Vice-Chancellor Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan of Jahangirnagar University expressed deep grief over the incident. In a statement issued late Sunday night, he described the killing as a brutal murder and called for a swift and fair investigation along with exemplary punishment for those involved.
Leaders and activists of the Jahangirnagar University Central Students’ Union, a faction of the Bangladesh Students’ Union, and the university unit of National Student Shakti have also demanded a proper investigation and justice for the killing.
