CID to investigate Dr Dhipra’s death case filed against husband, 3 others

A Dhaka court on Tuesday directed the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) to investigate a case filed over the death of doctor Nafisa Tabassum Dhipra in the capital’s Dhanmondi area.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana issued the order after taking cognisance of the complaint filed by Dhipra’s relative Md Moshiur Rahman Shah, said complainant’s lawyer Farhad Hossain.

Court sources said an officer of the CID with the rank of additional superintendent of police (ASP) or above has been assigned to investigate the allegations and submit a report by 16 July.

The case was filed against Dhipra’s husband, Dr Rahmat Rashid; her father-in-law Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid, head of the Cardiac Department at BIRDEM Hospital; her mother-in-law Siddika Sultana; and Dr Abdur Rashid’s son-in-law Simu Naser, editor of satire-based website Earki.

Farhad Hossain said legal action was delayed initially as the accused were influential, while Dhipra’s parents were “devout and vulnerable”.

According to the case statement, Dhipra and Rahmat married after being in a relationship and the couple has a two-year-old son.

The complaint alleged that Dhipra had faced “physical and mental abuse” from her in-laws since the marriage. It also stated that she suffered from postpartum depression, high blood pressure and diabetes after the birth of her child.

The case alleged that the accused failed to ensure necessary medical treatment and care for Dhipra and repeatedly hindered her preparations for the FCPS examination.

It also claimed that Dhipra had shared posts about domestic abuse in a Facebook group named “Female Doctors in Bangladesh” before her death.

According to the complaint, Dhipra was confined to a room for three days from 2 June, deprived of food and prevented from meeting her child.

It said her mother went to a flat in Dhanmondi on 4 June after learning about the situation and requested that the door be opened.

The complaint stated that after being released, Dhipra hugged her mother and said, “Mother, I want to eat rice,” before collapsing. It further alleged that she was not taken to a nearby hospital immediately and was later taken towards BIRDEM Hospital, where she died on the way.

The case also alleged that a death certificate was obtained using influence and that her burial was conducted hurriedly without a post-mortem examination in an attempt to suppress the incident and conceal evidence.