Mysterious death sparks protests

Saturday's mysterious death of a female student of a private polytechnic institute in Mirpur sparked protest in the capital and her home district Thakurgaon yesterday.

Police initially recorded it as an unnatural death case, and sources in Dhaka Medical College morgue where the autopsy was done said they were conducting some chemical tests to determine the cause of her death.

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The family of Afsana Ferdaus alleged she was murdered by someone in her circle. They particularly named a leader of Chhatra League's Tejgaon College unit in the capital.

The BCL leader could not be contacted despite repeated attempts. His phone was found switched off yesterday. 

The family was preparing to file a murder case.

On Saturday evening, two men took the girl to Al Helal Hospital in Mirpur and left the hospital without informing anyone, hospital sources said.

Doctors there declared her dead.

She was a final-year student of architecture department of SAIC Institute of Management and Technology in Mirpur.

She used to live in a one-room apartment, which she shared with another girl, at Manikdi in Dhaka Cantonment area. But the incident did not take place there, police said.  

Her brother Fazle Rabbi, who is a BCL leader in Thakurgaon, said his sister was a BCL activist herself.

In that capacity, she knew some BCL leaders. Someone among them might have killed her, said Rabbi. But he could not give any motive.

He also said to have received a call from an unknown person, asking them to settle the matter.

Police said they collected some video footage from the hospital's CCTV and were trying to identify those who took Afsana there.

Demanding a fair probe into the death, leaders and activists of Bangladesh Chhatra Union and relatives in Dhaka formed a human chain in front the National Museum yesterday afternoon.

At the protest programme, her uncle Tawfique Elahi, a teacher at a private university, alleged Afsana was killed.

Protesters also claimed the girl was raped before murder.

In Thakurgaon sadar, several hundred people, including students of different educational institutions, also formed an hour-long human chain, demanding the arrest and exemplary punishment of the perpetrator(s), reports our district correspondent.

Afsana also used to attend Chhatra Union's programmes, said Abu Bakar, her cousin, who is also secretary of Thakurgaon district Chhatra Union. 

District unit General Secretary of Bangladesh Mahila Parishad Suchorita Dev and local UP Chairman Monirul Islam, among others, spoke at the protest.

On Saturday, an unknown person called Afsana's mother and said Afsana's body was at a hospital in Dhaka.

Her relatives found the body on Sunday morning at the DMC morgue after a frantic search.

Kafrul police, which is investigating the case, said they found a deep round mark around her neck.

Other than that, there was no injury marks on her body, said an officer, asking not to be named, citing ongoing investigation.