Published : 30 Sep 2026, 11:14 PM
Updated : 30 Sep 2026, 11:14 PM
Mariam Khatun’s father wants to keep family ties warm with former Jamaat-e-Islami MP Gazi Nazrul Islam, saying he seeks an “amicable family relationship” with the lawmaker.
The sentiment emerged alongside an out-of-court settlement between the two families, who share mutual relatives, with the defence telling the Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday that they had resolved their differences.
Mariam’s father SM Masum Billah had accused Nazrul and his first wife Maksuda Islam of physically and mentally abusing his daughter, the former MP’s second wife, in a case filed over her death.
Defence counsel Mahbubur Rahman told the court that Masum Billah had no objection to the accused being granted bail.
Asked by Magistrate Md Sefatullah whether he was acting under duress, Masum Billah said he was under “no pressure”.
The magistrate granted Maksuda bail on a Tk 5,000 bond until Oct 22, citing her age and gender.
Nazrul’s bail application, however, was rejected because the police investigation is still under way and he has spent only a brief period in custody.
According to the written agreement, Masum Billah acknowledged filing the initial charge of abetment of suicide at Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station out of “instant suspicion”.
He said he later learned through family channels that his daughter had not taken her life because of abuse or provocation by either defendant.
The agreement sets out three conditions:
• The complainant has no objection to bail for Nazrul or Maksuda.
• Both families commit to maintaining cordial family relations.
• Both sides agree not to interfere with the ongoing judicial process.
State lawyer Omar Faruq Faruqi said the complainant could not privately settle the case by appearing in court and submitting a compromise agreement.
“The case has been filed. The investigating officer will complete the investigation and submit a report to the court,” he said.
Mariam’s body was recovered on Sept 20 from a flat in the NAM Building, an official residence complex for lawmakers.
The incident came two months after intimate video footage of Nazrul and Mariam at a Dhaka hotel surfaced online in July.
Jamaat-e-Islami initially claimed the footage had been created using artificial intelligence.
After Nazrul publicly confirmed Mariam was his second wife, the party expelled him on Jul 22 for moral misconduct following an inquiry.
