Police are seeking a seven-day remand to question Satkhira-4 lawmaker Gazi Nazrul Islam and his first wife Maksuda Begum over the alleged suicide of his second wife Mariam Khatun. The couple was presented before a Dhaka court on Monday.
Mariam’s body was recovered Sunday evening from the MP’s residence at NAM Bhaban located opposite the parliament complex. Police took Nazrul and Maksuda into custody later that night.
The deceased's father SM Masum Billah filed a case accusing Nazrul, Maksuda and Mariam's maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman of abetting the suicide. According to the case statement 19-year-old Mariam married the lawmaker in June. Her father alleged she was subjected to continuous physical and mental abuse by Nazrul and his first wife.
During the recovery of the body, police found several handwritten notes reflecting Mariam's deep emotional distress. In one heartbreaking note, she expressed the pain of her situation “Losing someone is more honourable than having only half of them. Love is either whole or it remains incomplete”.
This tragedy follows a recent controversy involving the lawmaker. In July, an intimate video of Nazrul and Mariam went viral on social media. Following an internal investigation into moral misconduct the Jamaat-e-Islami officially expelled Nazrul from the party and notified the parliament speaker and the Election Commission.
The speaker of parliament has been officially informed of the MP's current arrest as police prepare for further interrogation.
