Husband arrested for ‘provoking wife’s suicide’ in Rajshahi

Police today claimed to have arrested the husband of Liza Rahman who died after setting herself on fire in front of a police station in Rajshahi.

The arrestee, Shakhawat Hossain, was held from a house in Gomostapur area of Chapainawabganj early today, reports our Rajshahi correspondent quoting Masud Parvez, officer-in-charge (OC) Shah Makhdum Police Station.

Acting on a tip-off, a team of police carried out a search in the area and made the arrest around 2:30 am in connection with the case filed for provoking the death by suicide.

Also read: Father claims police forced him to file case against son-in-law

Liza, the 18-year-old HSC student of Rajshahi Women’s Government College set herself on fire after stepping out of Shah Makhdum Police Station in Rajshahi on Saturday.

The incident occurred an hour after she went into the police station, seeking legal assistance to protect her marriage.

She had been undergoing treatment at the DMCH with around 60 per cent burn injuries before succumbing on Wednesday, five days into the incident.

Liza’s father Mohammad Alam filed the case with Shah Makhdum Police Station against Shakawat Hossain and Liza’s in-laws.

However, the plaintiff denied filing it by himself.  He alleged that some police officials of Govindaganj Police Station in Gaibandha picked him up from his home, took him to Shah Makhdum Police Station in Rajshahi in a rented microbus, and forced him to sign the computer-composed case paper.

Meanwhile, Liza’s step-brother Shihab Ahmed said quoting her dying statement that she lost all hope after police belittled her marriage and denied assistance when she went to the police station seeking protection of her marriage.