Hasan Sayeed Sumon, who allegedly tortured and blinded his wife Rumana Manzur, a Dhaka University teacher, was found dead in his prison cell at Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University Monday morning.
Police said Sumon's body was found in the bathroom of the prison cell around 6:00am.
Talking to The Daily Star, Officer-in-Charge of Shahbagh Police Station Rezaul Karim could not say immediately whether it was an incident of suicide.
The body will be taken to Dhaka Medical College morgue for autopsy, the police officer added.
Sumon was arrested from his relative's house in the capital's Mugda area on June 15 following a case filed against him with Dhanmondi Police Station on June 6.
Earlier, Rumana -- an assistant professor of the International Relations department of Dhaka University -- alleged that Sumon tortured her at her parents’ house in Dhanmondi on June 5.
According to Rumana, her husband used to frequently assault her during their 10-year conjugal life.
he High Court on Tuesday asked Detective Branch of police to submit a report on investigation into the incident of torture on Dhaka University teacher Rumana Manzur by her ex-husband.
The DB police will submit the report to the court by November 13.
The file photo taken on June 20 shows Dhaka University teacher Rumana Manzur, whose eyes were badly marred by her husband.
The court also directed the DB police to make statement on the latest position of Rumana, who lost her eyes in a wild attack by her husband Sumon on June 5, in the investigation report.
Later, Rumana filed for divorce from Sunmon, who was arrested on July 15.
The HC bench of Justice Justice AHM Shamsuddin Chowdhury Manik and Justice MD Nuruzzaman passed today’s order after accepting a report submitted by the government saying that the case regarding the torture of Rumana has been handed over to the DB police.
Earlier on June 16, the court issued a suo moito rule asking three police officers – Assistant Commissioner (Dhamnodi Zone) Sharifur Rahman, Officer-in-charge of Dhanmondi Police Station Md Moniruzzaman, and investigation officer of the case Sub-inspector Mokbul Hossain – to submit the progress report on the investigation.
Rumana Manzur, assistant professor of DU, flied towards India for her eye’s treatment. Today at Bangladesh time 2.55 evening she left Bangladesh in the Kingfisher Airway’s flight. At that moment her father Monjur Hossain, mother and her daughter Anusha was with her. Rumana’s father Monjur Hossain said, “ for Rumana’s better treatment we are taking her to Chennai at Shankar Netraloy Hospital.”
On 5th June Rumana Manzur, assistant professor of International Relations, was tortured by her husband Hasan Sayed in her home at Dhanmondi. The immediate next day Rumana’s father made a general diary at Dhanmondi police station. Seriously injured Rumana was under treatment at Labaid hospital from last 8 days. Rumana’s left eye is totally damaged and right eye is not in a very good condition.
On the other hand, Dhaka University campus was very active to protest against this incident. Students and teachers have done various activities to ensure his arrest and proper punishment. They took position in front of Oporajeyo Bangla. They also put black cloth in the Oporajeyo Bangla sculpture’s eye.
Students of International Relations department, DU was very active and worried about their teacher Rumana Manzur’s condition. They said, “Rumana Manzur’s blindness is the blindness of the nations eyes.” “Are we living in the jungle?”
Here, the teachers association of DU gave 72 hours ultimatum for the arrest and punishment of Hasan Sayed. This is the first serious step taken by DU family about this incident.
Rumana Manjur, the Dhaka University (DU) assistant professor who has landed in hospital after being tortured allegedly by her husband, on Monday appealed for justice from her bed at LabAid Specialised Hospital. Chief eye consultant at the hospital Dr Ansarul Huq told reporters on Sunday that eye tissues in Rumana’s eyes had been badly ruptured in the attack. “Her eyes need multi-disciplinary treatment in a modern eye set-up,” he said.
Dr Huq suggested that eye hospitals abroad could be an option. “A normal human being can’t do it,” he said referring to the injury.
According to the doctor, Rumana was assaulted so severely that doctors could not even examine her eyes on the day she was admitted.
Rumana, an assistant professor in the Department of International Study of DU, was battered and bit, allegedly by her husband, on June 5. According to the police complaint lodged by the family, her husband gouged out both her eyes and chewed part of her nose.
She said her husband attacked her from behind when she was working on her computer at home. “My daughter was painting when he came and first pulled me by my hair and then tried to gouge out my eyes with his fingers,” she said.
Rumana, in Dhaka for a study break from a PhD programme in British Columbia University, had returned home last month. She alleged that her husband, Hasan Sayed, an engineering graduate from BUET who is unemployed at present, had objections to her going abroad and was allegedly irate over the issue.
“He bit my face and chewed off part of my nose,” she said. “He grabbed me by my hand so hard that I could not tackle him. Then he beat me up so severely that I started to bleed.”
Rumana said she slipped on her own blood and fainted.
The incident took place at her father’s Dhanmondi residence and she was taken to the hospital around 4 pm that day.
Rumana also said it wasn’t the first time that her husband had assaulted her and she had kept quiet for the sake of their daughter.
Rumana’s father Manjur Hossain, a retired army personnel, said his daughter was to submit her thesis this October. “She never shared her problems with us,” he said. “But we knew that her husband did not like her foreign scholarship from the beginning.”
Manjur Hossain said he has filed a case against Sayed in Dhanmondi police station.
Rahul Amin, associate professor of the department of IR of DU, said Rumana was his direct student and she was a very quiet and composed person. “I never knew she was undergoing so much trouble in her family life,” he said.
Meanwhile, Dr Mijanur Rahman Khan, chairman of the Human Rights Commission (HRC), visited Rumana Manjue at the hospital on Saturday but claimed she refused to meet him.
