Court denies Gazi Nazrul’s bail despite family settlement

Former Satkhira-4 MP Gazi Nazrul Islam was denied bail by a Dhaka court on Wednesday despite a settlement with the family of his second wife, Mariam Akhtar, in a case filed over her death.

However, the court granted bail to Nazrul’s first wife, Makshuda Islam, during the hearing before Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Sefatullah.

Mariam’s father and the case’s plaintiff, SM Masum Billah, submitted a compromise deed to the court and said he had no objection to bail for Nazrul and Makshuda.

Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court public prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi confirmed the matter.

In the compromise deed, Masum Billah said he had initially filed the case on suspicion as Mariam died at her husband’s residence. He later said inquiries convinced him that Mariam had not died by suicide due to any instigation or actions by Nazrul or Makshuda.

The deed was signed by Masum Billah as the first party and Md Abdul Hamid Moral, a relative of the accused, as the second party. It said both sides would maintain cordial relations and cooperate with the judicial proceedings.

Mariam, 19, was found hanging inside a flat at NAM Bhaban in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on September 20.

Her father filed the case the following day against Nazrul, Makshuda and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman under Section 306 of the Penal Code, which deals with abetment of suicide.

According to the case statement, Mariam had told her family that Nazrul and Makshuda subjected her to physical and mental abuse after her marriage to Nazrul in June. A suicide note was also reportedly found on the bed after her body was recovered.

Nazrul was placed on remand twice before being sent to jail on September 28. Makshuda was sent to jail after completing a one-day remand. Obaidur was also sent to jail in connection with the case.

The case was later handed over to the Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police for investigation.

- MaT