Man commits suicide 'killing' daughter

A man committed suicide after allegedly killing his physically-challenged and speech impaired teenage daughter Tuesday night at his home in Khulna.

The dead are Mostafa Kamal, 48, and his daughter Sumaiya Akter, 14.

Kamal worked as an accountant at the Institute of Nuclear Medicine and Allied Sciences (INMAS) in Khulna. He was frustrated and going through mental trauma due to some familial and official issues, said police and family members.

Hailing from Fakirhat upazila of Bagerhat, he lived with his wife and two daughters at a rented house on Ahsan Ahmed Road in the city.

He left a suicide note in which he held Ashok Kumar Paul, director of INMAS Khulna branch, responsible for his death.

“Ashok Kumar Paul is responsible for my death. As I was ill, I wanted to have my office room below the guest house [at the office]. For this, he misbehaved with me, troubling me mentally and physically. That's why I've chosen this path [of committing suicide],” the suicide note read.

Contacted, Ashok refuted the allegation of misbehaving and said Kamal had had a surgery in his spine last December and joined work on January 3.

“Our accounts section is on the third floor. As Kamal was having difficulty going up and down the stairs following his surgery, he requested for an office room on the ground floor for three months. As per his demand, we allocated him a room there on January 4. I didn't misbehave with him,” Ashoke told reporters.

Asked why Kamal held him responsible, Ashok said, “I don't know why he used my name.”

Ziauddin Ahmed, assistant commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police, said Kamal always stayed with his daughter and looked after her. On Tuesday night, both them went to sleep.

As there was no response from inside the room the next morning, other family members broke open the door and found Kamal's body hanging from a ceiling fan and the body of Sumaiya lying on the bed, he said.

On information, police went there, recovered the bodies and sent them to Khulna Medical College Hospital for autopsy.

Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge of Khulna Police Station, said Kamal might have strangled his daughter around 10:00pm, and then committed suicide.

Two cases were filed in this connection, said the police officer.