The hanging body of a woman leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP) has been recovered from a women’s student hostel in Jigatala in the capital. The deceased has been identified as Jannat Ara Rumi, 30.
Jannat Ara Rumi was joint coordinator of the Dhanmondi unit of NCP. Her body was recovered today, Thursday morning. Her home was in Patnitala upazila of Naogaon. Her father’s name is Zakir Hossain.
In a Facebook post, central joint member secretary of NCP Tareq Reza claimed that Jannat Ara Rumi committed suicide due to threats and cyber bullying by the Awami League, whose political activities have been banned. In the same post, he wrote that this was not suicide but murder.
Officer-in-charge (OC) of Hazaribagh police station, Md Hafizur Rahman, told Prothom Alo that NCP leader Jannat Ara worked at a private organisation. She lived alone in a room at the student hostel in Jigatala.
Police went to the hostel this morning after receiving the news. Police officers and residents of the hostel called out to Jannat Ara but received no response. The room was locked from the inside.
At one point, police broke open the door and recovered her hanging body, with a scarf wrapped around her neck and attached to the ceiling fan. Her body was later sent to the morgue of Dhaka Medical College for post-mortem examination.
Meanwhile, around 11:30 am, central joint member secretary of NCP Tareq Reza made a post on his verified Facebook page regarding the recovery of Jannat Ara’s body. He stated that last month, on the day of the verdict against ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, Jannat Ara had handed over to police a person affiliated with the Awami League, whose political activities have been banned, after that person allegedly tried to dig up Zia’s grave at Dhanmondi 32.
Tareq Reza claimed in his post, since that incident, Awami League members had been allegedly subjecting Jannat Ara to cyber bullying and issuing threats of murder and rape. Due to this, Jannat Ara took her own life during the night, he added in his post.
Tareq Reza further wrote in the same Facebook post, “We are not ready to see this as a suicide. This is murder. Those who destroyed my sister’s life will not be allowed to live in peace.”