Second Wife's Suicide: MP Nazrul, first wife both remanded
G M Nazrul Islam and his first wife (not in this photo), Maksuda Islam, at a Dhaka court. Photo: Agamir Somoy.
Police will interrogate Member of Parliament G M Nazrul Islam and his first wife, Maksuda Islam, in custody in connection with a case filed over abetting his second wife, Marium Begum, to commit suicide.
Among them, Nazrul will be interrogated for four days, while Maksuda will be questioned for one day.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ehsanul Islam issued the remand order today (Monday) following a petition by the investigating officer.
Sub-Inspector Md. Shamsujjoha Sarkar of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, the investigating officer, had sought a seven-day remand for both accused. In his petition, he stated that questioning was required to find answers to five questions regarding Marium's death.
State prosecutors argued in favor of the remand in court, while the defense counsel filed a petition seeking bail and the cancellation of the remand plea.
After hearing both sides, Magistrate Ehsanul Islam ordered the two accused to be remanded.
Yesterday evening, Marium's hanging body was recovered from Nazrul's flat in the MPs' residential area (NAM Building) adjacent to Manik Mia Avenue in Dhaka. Later that night, Marium's father, Masum Billah, filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station alleging abetment to suicide.
Besides Nazrul and his first wife, Marium's maternal uncle, Obaidur Rahman, and several unidentified individuals were named as accused in the case.
Among the accused, Obaidur remains at large. Investigating Officer Shamsujjoha cited five reasons in his remand application, including determining Obaidur's whereabouts.
The application noted that interrogating the accused was necessary to determine what Nazrul and Maksuda were doing when Marium's body was recovered; whether either had a role in abetting her suicide; the involvement and location of the absconding Obaidur Rahman; details regarding the unnamed suspects; and uncovering the underlying mystery of the incident.
Following the recovery of Marium's body yesterday evening, Nazrul and Maksuda were taken to the Tejgaon Division of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), where they underwent initial questioning overnight.
Following the filing of the case by Marium's father last night, police officially recorded the arrest of the two accused this morning and sent them to a Dhaka court. Meanwhile, after completing the autopsy, Marium's body was handed over to her family.
In July last year, after an intimate video involving Marium went viral, Nazrul publicly announced his second marriage. At the time, his first wife also confirmed the news of her husband's second marriage.
However, Jamaat-e-Islami expelled him from the party on grounds of moral turpitude. Despite his expulsion, Nazrul retained his seat as a Member of Parliament.
Under the Nari O Shishu Nirjatan Daman Ain (Women and Children Repression Prevention Act), a conviction for abetment to suicide carries a penalty of at least five years in prison. Furthermore, any individual sentenced to more than two years in prison for such a criminal offense becomes disqualified from holding a parliamentary seat.
Nazrul has been elected MP from the Satkhira-4 constituency multiple times. Most recently, he won the seat on a Jamaat ticket in the 13th National Parliamentary Election held this past February.
After the news of his second marriage surfaced in July, Nazrul began residing with Marium in Flat 203 on the third floor of Building 5 in the MPs' residential area on Manik Mia Avenue.
It was from this flat that Marium's hanging body was recovered. Police also seized several notes from the scene containing various allegations against Nazrul. Law enforcement is currently verifying whether the handwriting on the notes belongs to Marium.
Nazrul was not inside the flat when the body was recovered. Yesterday afternoon, he had gone to a Dhaka court to submit his bail bond obtained from the High Court in a separate case.
Following the viral video incident, Marium's maternal uncle, Obaidur Rahman, filed a case against Nazrul. In the lawsuit lodged at Pallabi Police Station in Dhaka on July 21, Obaidur alleged that he was assaulted after protesting Nazrul's illicit relationship with Marium and on suspicion of leaking the video.
Obaidur previously worked as MP Nazrul's driver, and the two are also relatives. Owing to this relationship, Nazrul used to visit Marium's house in Pallabi.
Obaidur alleged that Nazrul took advantage of these visits to build a relationship with Marium through various enticements, a dynamic Obaidur claims he opposed.
The case further alleged that someone was blackmailing Nazrul regarding the intimate video. Suspecting Obaidur's involvement, Nazrul launched the attack on him.
Nazrul secured an eight-week anticipatory bail from the High Court on August 10 in connection with that attempt-to-murder case. He had gone to the Dhaka court to submit that very bail bond when the incident occurred.
