Finally, a happy meal for Suborna

It was a simple menu consisting of paratha, vegetable and egg.

But for Suborna it felt like a feast since after long two years the six-year-old was having a proper meal.

And most importantly the little girl was enjoying the food with her father Thursday.

Suborna, daughter of Chan Mia of Mirapara area of Munshiganj, was tortured, forced to do all the chores, and kept unfed frequently for almost two years by one Kalpana Begum, wife of Siraj Matbor of Ballalbari area.

Kalpana, a mother of two sons, adopted Suborna, but never treated her as her daughter, and kept on torturing her, said police quoting neighbours.

A neighbour rescued Suborna on Wednesday and took her to Munshiganj General Hospital, said police.

“At first we thought she was Kalpana's daughter. But she used to beat and mistreat her regularly. Whenever we asked, she misbehaved with us. On Wednesday, I heard loud screams and saw Kalpana was beating her,” said Rana, the neighbour.

“There were marks of burn and beating injuries on her face and body,” said Shaibal Bosak, a doctor at the hospital.

“Being informed, we brought her to Munshiganj Police Station,” said Yunus Ali, officer-in-charge of the station. “Later the girl told us the name of her father and we eventually traced him.” The OC said they arranged the breakfast for the father and daughter at the station.

The father filed a case the same night, he added.

“I had to give her up for adoption due to hardship,” said Chan Mia, an auto-rickshaw driver. He said one Bharati Begum of Tiladi village adopted Suborna when she was 15-day-old. “I did not know she was living with Kalpana and was being tortured.”

“From now on my daughter will stay with me,” he said.

Suborna even with injury marks on her face and body was all smiles when this correspondent met her Thursday morning. “I'm happy now. I have found my father,” she said.

Meanwhile, police on Thursday night arrested Kalpana, 35, said the OC.

“After gleaning information from Kalpana we learned that when Bharati died in 2014, her husband Ali Islam of Hatimara gave Suborna to Kalpana,” said Hafizur Rahman, officer-in-charge of Hatimara Police Station yesterday.

“She is with her father now, who took her home,” he said.