Elderly mother found dead in squalid flat despite having 3 highly educated children

Police have recovered the body of 75-year-old Nur Jahan Begum from her residence in the capital’s Mirpur. Video footage of the flat where she had been living with her daughter has since circulated widely on social media. The footage shows that the entire apartment, including Nur Jahan Begum’s room, was in an extremely filthy and unhygienic condition.

Images of the body have also revealed a horrifying scene, with what appeared to be white fungal growth covering Nur Jahan Begum’s right eye. Officials at Pallabi police station who were involved in the recovery operation said they observed the presence of maggots on the body when it was recovered.

On Tuesday afternoon, journalists from Prothom Alo and several other media outlets visited the third-floor flat of the building on Road No. 13, Block C, Section 6, Mirpur. Despite repeatedly ringing the doorbell and waiting for an extended period, no one opened the door.

Residents of the building and neighbouring locals said that the manner in which the elderly woman died inside the flat was entirely unacceptable.

They pointed out that her two sons and daughter are all highly educated and employed in respectable professions. Local residents described the circumstances of her death as inhumane and expressed deep anger over the matter.

One of Nur Jahan Begum’s sons is a joint secretary in the government, another is a teacher at the Bangladesh University of Engineering and Technology (BUET), while her daughter teaches at a local school.

Prothom Alo spoke by telephone with all three of her children. The daughter and one son terminated the call after learning the identity of the correspondent.

Another son said that, since his mother had been living with his sister, local residents were now threatening her in various ways, and therefore it would not be appropriate at this moment to speak publicly while disclosing their identities.

Sub-Inspector Shamsur Rahman of Pallabi police station was present throughout the process of recovering Nur Jahan Begum’s body. He said that the daughter had summoned a nurse to the flat. After arriving, the nurse contacted the government’s emergency service hotline, 999.

When he arrived at the scene, he found the flat unfit for habitation, with extremely unsanitary conditions throughout. The body was lying on a bed, and maggots had infested the right eye and portions of the back.

Shamsur Rahman said that an inquest was conducted and a post-mortem examination carried out at Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital. A mark of injury was observed on the right side of Nur Jahan Begum’s head, which was also noted by the attending physician. He said it appeared that the death may have occurred several days earlier.

Following the post-mortem examination, the body was handed over to her daughter and her son, the BUET professor. The eldest son was contacted by telephone but informed the authorities that he was in Khulna and would not be able to attend. The family planned to bury her in their ancestral village home in Uttar Matlab, Chandpur.

After the body was recovered on 31 May, Nur Jahan Begum’s daughter filed an unnatural death case with Pallabi police station on 1 June. In her statement, she said that her mother had died at home without her knowledge. She added that she had no complaint against, nor any suspicion regarding, any member of the family in connection with the death.

Maruf Haider, a journalist residing in Block D of the area, has also filed a written complaint with the police against Nur Jahan Begum’s three children and two grandchildren.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, he said that he was shocked after entering the flat and seeing its condition. He further alleged that members of Nur Jahan Begum’s family had assaulted him and others and had attempted to offer bribes.

Nur Jahan Begum had been living in her daughter’s flat, which her daughter had received from her in-laws’ family. Her daughter’s husband, a former teacher at Dhaka University, died several years ago. Nur Jahan Begum herself had also worked as a teacher.

Following the recovery of Nur Jahan Begum’s body, public attention has once again turned to the Parents Maintenance Act of 2013 and its implementing regulations, which were enacted in 2023.

The law stipulates that every child is responsible for ensuring the maintenance and welfare of their parents. Where parents have more than one child, the siblings are required to consult among themselves and collectively ensure their parents’ maintenance.

The law further requires children to maintain regular contact regarding their parents’ health and to provide necessary medical treatment and care.

Failure to comply with the law is punishable by a fine of up to Tk 100,000 or, in default of payment, imprisonment for up to three months.

Zahirul Islam, a tenant on the ground floor of the building where Nur Jahan Begum lived, and another neighbour, Syed Mohammad Hasan, told Prothom Alo that all of her children were educated individuals.

They asked why should a mother die under such neglect even then?

They argued that the children should be brought under the ambit of the law and subjected to appropriate punishment.

Local residents said members of the family rarely interacted or spoke with others in the neighbourhood. Even when people visited the flat for necessary reasons, the occupants would not open the door.

At Pallabi police station, Officer-in-Charge Mohammad Hasan Basir spoke to Prothom Alo about the case.

He said the body had been recovered and subjected to a post-mortem examination. Preliminary indications suggest that Nur Jahan Begum died several days before being discovered. The post-mortem report would establish when she died and determine whether her death resulted from any injury or other cause. Only then would further legal action be taken.

“The mother and daughter lived in the same flat. Even so, the fact that the mother died in this manner is extremely inhumane. After the recovery, it appeared that Nur Jahan Begum’s bodily waste had not been cleaned. The stench was so severe that it was difficult to approach the body,” the OC added.

Professor Fatema Rezina Iqbal of the Department of Sociology at Dhaka University described the incident as deeply heartbreaking.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, she said, “As a mother, she undoubtedly raised her children with great care and devotion. Those children are now highly educated and established in their professions. Yet they apparently felt no responsibility towards their mother. That is profoundly painful.”

Professor Fatema Rezina Iqbal said the incident once again demonstrated how self-centred people have become, to the extent that they no longer wish to keep track of their own mothers’ wellbeing.

Referring to the Parents Maintenance Act, she stressed the need for greater public awareness regarding the legislation.

She added that, given such realities, society should move away from negative attitudes towards old-age homes and instead consider expanding the number of well-run and dignified residential care facilities for the elderly.