Students and community members of Chandpur's Faridganj upazila have protested and demanded justice following the alleged rape and murder of a housewife on Wednesday.
Local villagers from Charmathura and Chirika organized a protest march and human chain to demand the punishment of the victim, Asma Akter Tanzina's brother-in-laws Saimun and Shaheen, whom they accuse of the crime, with the alleged support of her parents-in-law.
The protest began in Noyarhat Bazaar, passing through Bhatiyapur intersection, Faridganj Bus Stand and culminating in a human chain in front of the Central Shaheed Minar in Faridganj.
Participants included men, women, and students from nearby educational institutions who also presented a memorandum to the police, urging for a thorough investigation and justice.
Protesters stated that they found suspicious injuries on Asma's body, contradicting claims of suicide by hanging. They alleged that Asma was physically and sexually assaulted before her body was hanged from a mango tree to disguise the murder as suicide. They demanded exemplary punishment for the accused family members.
Asma Akter Tanzina, who was married to Masum, a Malaysian expatriate, lived with her in-laws, including her two brothers-in-law, Saimun, 22, and Shaheen, 17, while her husband was abroad.
On November 2, her family was informed of her alleged suicide. However, during the body washing before burial, suspicious injuries led her family to suspect foul play. The police report also noted reddish marks on her body and the sudden disappearance of the two brothers-in-law further fueled suspicions.
Sub-Inspector (SI) Ismail Hossain of Faridganj Police Station stated that marks were observed on Asma's body during the initial examination which were included in the police report.
Officer-in-charge Md. Hanif Sarkar confirmed that an unnatural death case had been filed and further action would be taken once the autopsy report is available.
