Former Lawmaker and First Wife Remanded in Suicide Abetment Case

A Dhaka court on Monday granted a four-day remand for former Jamaat-e-Islami MP Mr. Gazi Nazrul Islam and a one-day remand for his first wife, Ms. Maksuda Islam, in connection with the suicide abetment case of his second wife, Ms. Morium Khatun. Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Ehsanul Islam delivered the ruling following a hearing where investigating officer Sub-Inspector Md. Shamsuzzoha Sarkar sought a seven-day remand to determine whether the accused directly or indirectly instigated the victim, investigate evasive answers, and locate an absconding accomplice. Defense lawyer Mr. Mahbubur Rahman pleaded for bail, while State Counsel Mr. Omar Faruq Faruqi argued for the maximum remand period.

The legal proceedings unfolded after police recovered the hanging body of 19-year-old Ms. Morium Khatun from a third-floor flat in the NAM Building at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar on the evening of September 20. Following the recovery, authorities detained the former Satkhira-4 lawmaker and his first wife before formally placing them under arrest. The victim’s father, Mr. SM Masum Billah, subsequently filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station, accusing Mr. Gazi Nazrul Islam, Ms. Maksuda Islam, and a relative named Md Obaydur Rahman of physical and mental torture that drove his daughter to suicide.

According to the case statement, Ms. Morium married the 75-year-old politician in June and resided with him and his 65-year-old first wife, Ms. Maksuda. Her family alleged that she was repeatedly subjected to abuse and psychological distress, which culminated in her death. On the afternoon of the incident, the complainant received an urgent phone call to visit the residence, where police eventually broke open a locked door to recover Ms. Morium’s body hanging from a ceiling fan. A handwritten suicide note recovered from the room detailed deep emotional distress and marital strain.

During the court hearing, both accused were brought to the bench under tight security, where police removed their restraints. Ms. Maksuda appeared visibly anxious throughout the proceedings, resting her head on her hands at one point, while Mr. Nazrul remained calm and instructed her to adjust her hijab when it slipped. Speaking to journalists directly from the dock after the judge left, Mr. Gazi Nazrul Islam denied all allegations, asserting, ‘The charges against us are false. I was not at home at the time of the incident; she committed suicide on her own’. When pressed by reporters regarding the motive behind her death, he stated that he did not know.

The incident follows a broader series of controversies surrounding the former parliamentarian. In July, intimate videos featuring Ms. Morium and Mr. Nazrul circulated widely on social media platforms, leading to severe public backlash. Following an internal investigation that found him guilty of moral turpitude, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami expelled Mr. Gazi Nazrul Islam from the party under Article 62 of its constitution and formally notified the Election Commission regarding his dismissal.