Avijit’s wife to leave for US

Rafida Ahmed Bonya is returning to the United States for treatment after suffering a terror attack in Dhaka that claimed the life of her husband Avijit Roy.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 3 March 2015, 07:44 AM
Updated : 3 March 2015, 08:13 AM

She might leave the country on Tuesday, publisher Ahmedur Rashid Tutul told bdnews24.com.

“The US government has arranged her return because she is a citizen. She might leave the country on Tuesday night,” Publisher Ahmedur Rashid Tutul, a close friend of the couple, told bdnews24.com.  

“The US State Department contacted Bonya after the attack.” She suffered head injuries and one of her fingers was chopped off while she tried to save her husband.

Avijit Roy, a writer-blogger, died on Feb 26, soon after he and Bonya were attacked with sharp weapons at Dhaka University’s TSC area, while they were returning from the book fair. 

Roy, who founded the blog Mukto-mona, had received numerous death threats for his views against religious extremism. He was also a regular bdnews24.com columnist.  

A bio-engineer and a naturalised US citizen, he came to Dhaka along with his wife on Feb 16. Two of Avijit’s books have been published in the Amar Ekushey Book Fair.

US State Department spokesperson Jen Psaki has condemned the attack as ‘horrific in its brutality and cowardice’ during a briefing on Friday. 

The US has offered to help in the investigation, besides providing consular assistance. 

Roy’s father, professor Ajay Roy, has filed a murder case with the Shahbagh police without naming suspects.