Dipan's family pleads for privacy

Razia Rahman, wife of slain publisher Faisal Arefin Dipan, broke down in tears as soon as bereaved father Prof Abul Quasem Fazlul Huq entered her flat Tuesday afternoon.

"Please protect my children from them [journalists]. I told the vice-chancellor [of Dhaka University] that I don't want to face the media. I don't need any help other than this. Just do this for me," she pleaded.

Earlier that day, The Daily Star correspondent contacted Prof Quasem over the phone and wanted to know a few things. Quasem said he was on his way to his daughter-in-law's house and asked the correspondent to meet him at the TSC. From there, Quasem took him in his car to Razia's apartment to talk.

 While entering the flat, this correspondent saw a journalist and a teacher of journalism at Jagannath University coming out.

"I have kept calm all along [since Dipan's death]. But I lost it today and have broken down," Razia said.

She then went on to narrate how the journalist and the teacher sat in the living room hour after hour and asked all sorts of "unpleasant questions".

"As I was sending my son to sit for his exam, they asked for permission to take pictures of my bedroom, living room and even my son's study table," she said.

"While the boy was going out, they repeatedly wanted to know exactly how tall he was," she added.

"Why would a journalist need to know my son's height? And do they have any right to sit in my living room for hours?

"My son's exam is going on. He won't be able to take the exam if he sees me upset. But I lost it after they asked those questions," she said.

Trying to calm her down, Prof Quasem said, "They [journalists] came here for their business interest." He also asked her not to bring her son in front of the journalists.

Razia also described how traumatised her son was when cameras surrounded him as he went to attend his father's namaz-e-janaza.

"One of them even went on to ask, 'what was it like to sit for an exam now that your father just died?' How can someone ask a child such a question?" she said.