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An 18-year-old pregnant garment worker, Shifa Akter, died on Sunday (July 5), 11 days after suffering severe burn injuries in Dhaka’s Mirpur.
Her family alleges that her husband and several others poured kerosene on her and set her on fire.
Shifa, who was three months pregnant, had sustained burns over 65% of her body. She died while undergoing treatment at the Burn Unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
According to her father, Jahangir Alam, the family hails from Noagaon village in Austagram upazila of Kishoreganj district. Shifa, the eldest of four sisters, married Sohel, a resident of a neighboring village, eight months ago. After their marriage, the couple rented a house in the Boro Bagh area of Mirpur-2, near Azmat Garments, where both worked.
Jahangir Alam, who also lives in Mirpur, said he was informed by local residents on the night of June 24 that his daughter had been burned and admitted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
At the hospital, Shifa told her father that her husband, along with four or five others, had poured kerosene on her body, set her on fire and fled the scene.
Her father alleged that Sohel and his family had been pressuring them over unpaid dowry money that had been promised at the time of the marriage but could not be paid due to financial hardship. He claimed Sohel frequently assaulted Shifa over the issue.
To escape the abuse, Shifa had moved to Dhaka and taken a job at a garment factory, where Sohel later also found employment. About a month before the incident, Sohel allegedly assaulted her again and tried to force her to return to their village home. He reportedly threatened to throw her under a vehicle if she refused. Fearing for her safety, Shifa quit her job about 15 days before the attack.
Jahangir Alam said that on the night of June 24, Sohel allegedly set his daughter on fire. Construction workers from a nearby building noticed the flames, rushed to the scene, extinguished the fire and took her to the hospital. They later contacted her family after obtaining her father’s address from Shifa while she was receiving treatment.
He also said that during Shifa’s 11-day stay in hospital, none of her husband’s family members came to see her, and all of them have since gone into hiding.
Confirming the death, Inspector Md Faruk, in-charge of the police camp at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, said the body has been sent to the morgue for an autopsy. Police at Mirpur Model Police Station are investigating the incident.