Hanging body of MP Nazrul’s widely-discussed wife Mariam recovered

The body of Mariam Khatun, 19, the widely-discussed second wife of Gazi Nazrul Islam, MP for Satkhira-4, was recovered from a flat at the NAM Bhaban in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar.

Police initially believe the incident occurred sometime between the afternoon and evening of Sunday (September 20). However, law enforcement agencies have not yet confirmed the cause of death or whether it was suicide. Forensic teams from the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) and Criminal Investigation Department (CID) are working at the scene.

According to police and reports by several news outlets, Mariam’s body was found in Flat 203 on the third floor of Building 5 of NAM Bhaban.

Tejgaon Division Deputy Commissioner of Police Ibn-e-Mizan said police found Mariam hanging from a ceiling fan in one of the rooms after arriving at the flat. The scene was subsequently secured and forensic teams were called in.

Tejgaon Division Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Fazlul Karim said they received the information around 5:30pm. He said the preliminary assumption was that the incident may have occurred between 3pm and 3:30pPolice said legal procedures, including the collection of evidence, would begin after the forensic team completes its examination and other necessary processes. The exact time and manner of Mariam’s death will be established through the investigation. Police have not so far confirmed the incident as a suicide, and therefore no conclusion has been reached regarding the cause of death.

Mariam Khatun had been at the centre of widespread discussion last July. At the time, several videos showing Gazi Nazrul Islam and Mariam in private moments circulated on social media. Following the release of the videos, some leaders, activists and supporters of Jamaat-e-Islami initially claimed that they had been created using artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Various fact-checking reports later also examined the authenticity of the videos.

After the videos circulated, Gazi Nazrul Islam publicly introduced Mariam as his second wife. According to his statement, he married Mariam on June 17, and it was claimed that his first wife, Maksuda Islam, had consented to the marriage.

He also claimed that on July 13, he went with his first wife and Mariam to the business establishment of Mariam’s father, Masum Billah, in Moghbazar, Dhaka. He alleged that the driver and Mariam’s maternal uncle Obaidullah, along with several others, held them hostage and extorted money before demanding more. The MP also alleged that Obaidullah was involved in recording and circulating the videos. These allegations, however, have not been independently verified through the other parties concerned.

Meanwhile, a biodata of Mariam surfaced amid the MP’s claim that they were married. Reports by several media outlets said the document carried Gazi Nazrul Islam’s signature dated June 22, with the handwritten comment “strongly recommending” above the signature. The same biodata listed Mariam’s marital status as “unmarried.” The reference to her as “unmarried” in a document dated five days after the MP, his first wife, Mariam and her father claimed that the marriage had taken place on June 17 raised questions.

Amid the controversy over the videos, Gazi Nazrul Islam was expelled from Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami on July 22. A statement issued after an emergency meeting of the party’s Central Executive Council said an organisational investigation had found evidence of “moral misconduct” against him. The decision to expel him was taken under Article 62 of the party constitution, and the matter was communicated to the Election Commission. The party formally sent a letter to the Election Commission the following day.

Following the video controversy, a case was also filed at Pallabi Police Station in Dhaka against Gazi Nazrul Islam and several others on allegations of attempted murder. The case was filed by his former driver Obaidur Rahman. The complaint alleged assault and an attempt to kill him by strangulation. Gazi Nazrul Islam later obtained an eight-week bail from the High Court in the case and submitted the bail bond to a Dhaka court on September 20.

Following news of Mariam’s death, the July video controversy, the MP’s claim that he had married her, and the subsequent political and legal developments have come back into focus. However, neither the police nor any investigating agency has so far made any statement suggesting a direct connection between those events and Mariam’s death.

Authorities are now awaiting forensic examinations, the collection of evidence and further investigation to determine the actual cause of her death.