Husband Gets Life Sentence for Dowry Murder

A Faridpur court has sentenced a 43-year-old man Manojit Sarkar to life in prison for the dowry-related murder of his wife Rama Biswas (25).

Judge Shamima Parveen of the Faridpur Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal delivered the verdict on Monday. The court also fined Manojit Tk 3 lakh directing the District Magistrate to hand the collected funds to the victim's family. Manojit was absent during the ruling, prompting the court to issue an arrest warrant.

Six of the convict’s relatives were acquitted due to unproven involvement.

According to court records Manojit and Rama married in early 2015. Over three years, Manojit’s family received Tk 5 lakh in cash, gold ornaments and furniture as dowry. In April 2018, he demanded an additional Tk 1 lakh. When Rama's family failed to pay, Manojit strangled her with a nylon cord on April 20, 2018.

Initially, Manojit filed an unnatural death report falsely claiming his wife had committed suicide due to severe stomach pain. However an autopsy confirmed she was murdered. Following the medical report, Rama’s father Ranjan Biswas filed a formal murder case on May 10, 2018. Police submitted a charge sheet against seven individuals later that October.

Public Prosecutor Golam Rabbani Bhuiyan welcomed the ruling stating it establishes the rule of law and sends a strong judicial message against the social plague of dowry violence.