S.M. Masum Billah, father of the deceased Mariam Akhtar and the plaintiff in her suicide abetment case, has admitted in a compromise deed submitted to the court that his daughter did not commit suicide due to any provocation, anger, or grievance directed at her husband, Gazi Nazrul Islam, or his first wife, Maksuda Islam.
Plaintiff S.M. Masum Billah personally appeared before the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md. Sefatullah on Wednesday (September 30) to formally submit the compromise agreement.
In the compromise document submitted to the court, the plaintiff noted that after filing the case, he conducted inquiries through various sources and confirmed that Mariam’s death was not triggered by any instigation or resentment toward her husband Gazi Nazrul or his first wife Maksuda. Consequently, the family voluntarily reached this settlement to maintain peace among close relatives.
The compromise agreement outlined three conditions: the plaintiff side has no objection to the defendants being granted bail; both parties will maintain cordial relations following their release; and both sides will extend necessary legal cooperation without hindering the judicial process.
However, the prosecution strongly opposed the compromise deed, asserting that the agreement was secured by exerting physical or mental pressure on the plaintiff’s side and emphasizing that there is no scope for a compromise under the law in a suicide abetment case.
Omar Farooq Farooqui, Public Prosecutor (PP) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge’s Court, representing the prosecution, confirmed the legal objections and hearing details to reporters.
On the other hand, defense lawyer Mahbubur Rahman refuted the prosecution’s claim of coercion, stating that the plaintiff provided the compromise deed voluntarily after realizing his mistake through a realistic and objective review of the legal facts, rather than under any pressure.
Following the submission of the deed, the defense filed bail applications, with plaintiff S.M. Masum Billah consenting to the bail. Upon concluding the hearing, the court granted bail to Gazi Nazrul’s first wife, Maksuda Islam, but rejected the bail plea for the primary accused, Gazi Nazrul, ordering him to be sent back to jail.
It is worth noting that 19-year-old Mariam’s husband, Gazi Nazrul Islam, was previously sent to prison on September 28 after completing a total of 8 days of remand across two phases in the suicide abetment case.
According to case records, on the evening of September 20, the hanging body of Mariam Akhtar along with several suicide notes were recovered with the assistance of the CID from a locked room in Flat No. 203 of the NAM Building under Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station in Dhaka. The following day, the victim’s father filed a case with Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station naming his son-in-law Gazi Nazrul, his first wife Maksuda, and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidur Rahman.
