Dhaka University (DU) student found dead after facing threats over controversial Facebook (FB) comment made months earlier.
Police recovered his body on Tuesday morning after he hanged himself in his room around 2:00 AM, over a controversial Facebook comment, made seven to eight months ago.
The deceased was identified as Shakil Ahmed, son of Nasiruddin Ahmed, final-year student of the university's Fine Arts faculty, a residents of Dakkhin Jamsha village under Singair upazila in Manikganj district.
Before suicide, he posted four times on Facebook, with his final message reading: "I am not an atheist, but everyone in the village is calling me one. I know, and my Allah knows, that I never insulted the Prophet Muhammad."
He continued, "My father used to be proud of me; everyone in the village respected me. But today, I have lost my dignity in the eyes of my own people."
According to family members and local sources, Shakil had previously commented on a Facebook post about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) months ago, which he subsequently deleted after realising his mistake.
However, the comment was re-circulated by a Facebook friend and went viral on Monday evening, prompting immediate backlash from the local community.
Mukta Akter, Shakil's cousin who answered his father's phone, revealed that "hundreds of people from Dakkhin Jamsha and nearby villages came to their house around 9:00 PM last night and issued various threats to the family over the Facebook comment." The intimidation continued for several hours before Shakil's tragic death in the early hours of Tuesday morning.
Didar Ali, a local shopkeeper and neighbour, confirmed that Shakil made the controversial comment about the Prophet a long time ago but deleted it after realising his mistake.
He explained that whilst the original post had been removed, its recent re-circulation triggered the fatal chain of events.
Officer-in-Charge Toufiq Azam of Singair Police Station stated that "initial investigations suggest that Shakil committed suicide due to guilt and concerns about family honour."
He confirmed that Shakil's body has been sent to Manikganj Medical College morgue and an unnatural death case has been filed.
NRE/NSA
