MP Gazi Nazrul submits bail bond in court in attempted murder case filed by second wife’s uncle

Gazi Nazrul Islam, the member of parliament for the Satkhira-4 constituency, has submitted his bail bond to a Dhaka court after securing bail from the High Court in an attempted murder case filed by his second wife’s uncle.

He submitted the bail bond today, Sunday, upon appearing before the court of Dhaka Additional Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Zonaid.

Sub-Inspector (SI) Saiful Islam of the DMP Prosecution Department confirmed the matter to Prothom Alo. He stated that Gazi Nazrul Islam was granted eight weeks’ bail by the High Court in this case on 10 August. He submitted the bail bond today.

The plaintiff in this case, Obaidur Rahman, worked as Gazi Nazrul Islam’s personal driver. He is the uncle of Nazrul Islam’s second wife, Mst. Mariam Khatun.

On 21 July, he filed the case against Gazi Nazrul Islam, 74, and four of his associates at Pallabi police station in the capital. The complaint alleged physical assault and attempted murder by strangulation, stemming from protests against an unethical affair and suspicions regarding leaked videos.

The other accused in the case are Aminur Rahman, 55, Masum Billah, 41, Motassim Billah, 25, and Rakibul Hasan, 30.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), Obaidur Rahman lived at his sister’s residence in ‘Rose Garden Tower’ in the Kalshi area of Pallabi, Dhaka. He worked as Gazi Nazrul Islam’s personal driver. Due to the familial connection, Nazrul Islam frequented the house. At one point, allegations arose that an unethical relationship had developed between Nazrul Islam and Obaidur’s niece. Upon learning of this, Obaidur informed the family and requested Nazrul Islam to refrain from continuing the relationship. Angered by this, Nazrul Islam issued death threats against him.

The FIR further states that a syndicate based in Moghbazar recently obtained several ‘objectionable videos’ of Nazrul Islam and the young woman and began blackmailing him. Nazrul Islam suspected that Obaidur had secretly recorded the videos and handed them over to the media and the blackmailing group. Driven by this suspicion, the other accused attacked Obaidur on 14 July on Nazrul Islam’s orders.

According to the plaintiff Obaidur Rahman, at around 11:00 am on that day, Aminur Rahman tactfully called him into the drawing room of the house. There, along with the other accused, they beat him indiscriminately with sticks. At one stage, Aminur pinned him to the floor and attempted to strangle him to death. When his mother, Tahmina, and younger sister, Mim, screamed for help, the attackers fled the scene. Later, injured Obaidur received medical treatment at Kurmitola General Hospital.

Gazi Nazrul Islam was elected as a member of parliament from the Satkhira-4 constituency as a candidate of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami in the 13th Parliamentary Election.

Recently, several videos depicting ‘personal moments’ involving him and the young woman circulated on social media. The Jamaat-e-Islami MP was seen intimately with the woman in these clips.

Following the release of the videos, numerous Jamaat leaders and activists claimed on social media that the content was generated using artificial intelligence (AI) technology.

However, Gazi Nazrul Islam clarified in a post on his personal Facebook account that the young woman was his second wife, Mariam Begum.

He stated that their marriage took place on 17 June at the residence of Mariam’s father, Masum Billah, in Dhaka, in a family setting and with the consent of his first wife. Following this incident, Jamaat-e-Islami expelled Nazrul Islam from the party.