Published : 22 Sep 2026, 01:13 PM
Updated : 22 Sep 2026, 01:13 PM
The parents of Mariam Khatun had left their village in Gabura, a remote island union in Satkhira, in the wake of the devastation from Cyclone Aila in 2009. After her death, Mariam, the second wife of Member of Parliament Gazi Nazrul Islam, has been laid to rest in that same Gabura.
Mariam was buried around 1am on Tuesday at the family cemetery in Sardar Para of Gabura Union, said Aniruddha Roy, an assistant sub-inspector of Shyamnagar Police Station.
Earlier on Sunday, police recovered the hanging body of 19-year-old Mariam from a flat at the NAM Bhaban, opposite the National Parliament complex in the Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area. The flat had been allocated to MP Gazi Nazrul Islam.
After the postmortem and other legal procedures in Dhaka, her body was taken to Satkhira by ambulance on Monday. Around 11pm, it was transported by trawler across the Kapatakkha River and reached Sardar Para in Gabura.
Mariam’s father Masum Billah, her mother, grandmother, maternal grandmother, paternal aunt and uncle, and paternal uncle Motasim Billah were among the relatives accompanying her body.
After the body arrived, a funeral prayer was held beside the Sardar Bari Jame Mosque in Gabura West Para. Local madrasa teacher Maulana Nurul Huda led the prayer.
Relatives, local residents, Union Parishad member Golam Mostofa, and Shyamnagar Police Station ASIs Aniruddha Roy and Badiuzzaman were present.
During the funeral prayer, Union Parishad member Golam Mostofa expressed grief over Mariam’s death and urged those present to pray for her.
Before the burial, relatives demanded a proper investigation and justice over Mariam’s death. They said the actual cause of her death must be established through an investigation and that those responsible should be dealt with according to the law.
Mariam’s aunt, Munni Akter said: “Our girl was very gentle and well-mannered. She was very intelligent. I don’t know why this happened. There is still a mystery surrounding her death. We want a proper investigation and justice for what happened to her.”
Mariam’s relative Yahia said, “We learned at around 7pm yesterday (Sunday) that Mariam had allegedly committed suicide. But we do not know what actually happened. We want a proper investigation and justice.”
No one from Mariam’s family now lives permanently in her ancestral village of Chauddarashi. However, after news of her death spread, grief and concern were seen among local residents.
Although questions arose among local people about the burial being held late at night in the presence of only a few relatives and police personnel, no one was willing to speak about the matter publicly.
ASI Aniruddha said, “It was not a matter of security concerns. We were present in Gabura to perform our duty. We remained there until the burial and funeral rites were completed. We returned to Shyamnagar in the early hours of the morning.”
Meanwhile, following Mariam’s death, her father, Md Masum Billah, filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station accusing several people of instigating suicide. The accused include Gazi Nazrul Islam, Member of Parliament from the Satkhira-4 constituency, his first wife Maksuda Begum, and Obaidullah.
