‘Dowry’: Housewife sets herself ablaze, dies at DMCH

Jesmine Akhter. Photo: Collected

A housewife succumbed to her injuries today four days after she set herself ablaze as she was tortured by her husband allegedly for dowry.

Jesmine Akhter, 38, died at Dhaka Medical College Hospital’s burn unit around 8:30am. She had been suffering from 65 per cent burn injuries, according to her family and hospital sources.

She set herself afire with kerosene in front of her family members at Salamatia of Munshiganj’s Srinagar upazila on June 7, Siraj Chowdhury Arif, brother of the victim, told The Daily Star.

Jesmine was often beaten by her husband, Sirajul Islam, for dowry since 18 years, her brother alleged.

She was married to Singapore expatriate Sirajul Islam in 1996 at the age of 15. Sirajul came back to Bangladesh after two years of their marriage and since then he remained unemployed and demanded dowry from Jesmine, the victim’s brother said.

They have two children and one of them is mentally challenged. She could not leave her husband's house thinking of her daughters. Therefore, they tried to solve the problem through local mediators, but nothing changed, he said.

Officer-in-Charge (OC) of Srinagar Police Station Eunus Ali said, the victim's brother has filed a case accusing her husband.

“We are investigating the case,” he added.