Death of Tania: Evidence of gang-rape, murder found

The autopsy, conducted on nurse Shahinoor Akter Tania’s body, has found evidence of gang-rape and murder.

Tania, who worked at Ibne Sina Hospital’s Kalyanpur branch in Dhaka, died on her way home by a bus in Kishoreganj’s Katiadi upazila on Monday night.

The post mortem conducted at Kishoreganj General Hospital yesterday found injury marks at nose, neck, legs and hands, Dr Md Habibur Rahman, civil surgeon of Kishoreganj, told our Mymensingh correspondent.

The injury marks bore the signs of serious scuffle and there was a fracture in her head’s back side and her skull was also broken, said the civil surgeon. 

“The profuse bleeding in her head might be the cause for which she succumbed to her injuries,” suggested the civil surgeon.

The forensic doctors also found bleeding in the victim’s private parts, said the civil surgeon quoting the doctors.

THREE MORE PEOPLE HELD

Five people including the bus driver Md Nuruzzaman and its helper Lalon Mia were held by police for their alleged involvement in the rape and murder of Shahinoor Akter Tania. Photo: Collected

Police today arrested three more persons for their alleged involvement in the incident, said Khalilur Rahman Patwari, officer-in-charge of Bajitpur Police Station.

Earlier, the law enforcers arrested bus driver Md Nuruzzaman, 39, and its helper Lalon Mia, 33, yesterday.

All of the accused were produced before a Kishoreganj court with a 10-day remand prayer today, but the court granted a remand for eight days each, said Taufiq Ahmed, court inspector of Kishoreganj.

The victim’s father lodged a murder and rape case with the Bajitpur Police Station naming four including the driver and helper and some unknown persons Tuesday night. 

TRANSPORT LEADERS DEMAND JUSTICE

The leaders of Bangladesh Sarok Paribahan Sramik Federation today expressed grave concern over the death of Tania and demanded justice for her.

The president and general secretary of the federation issued a statement demanding exemplary punishment of the culprits.

They also expressed solidarity with the family of the victim.

WHAT HAPPENED TO TANIA

Tania boarded a Swarnalata Paribahan bus from the capital’s Mohakhali to go to her home in Lohajury in Katiadi around 3:00pm on Monday.

On her way, she spoke with her father and brother Sujan Mia several times on the phone. The bus reached Katiadi around 8:00pm where 16 of the 19 passengers got down. Two others got down at Ujanchar, said Shafiqul Islam, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Katiadi Police Station, quoting family members.

From that point on, she was the only passenger as the bus headed towards Pirijpur, from where her home is some 10 minutes’ rickshaw ride, police and family members said.

Meanwhile, her family was waiting for her. She had called Sujan upon reaching Katiadi, saying she would reach Pirijpur shortly.

When more than an hour passed, the family members called her but found her phone switched off. Anxious, they then rushed to the Pirijpur bus station, but learned that no Swarnalata Paribahan bus reached the station around that time.

Later around 11:00pm, they received a call from the Katiadi Upazila Health Complex and the caller said that Tania died.

Resident Medical Officer Tajnina Toiyyab told The Daily Star that Tania had died before she was taken to the hospital.

During primary interrogation, the driver and helper claimed the woman jumped off the running bus through the window and died, although they could not explain why she would do that, police said.