A highly volatile situation emerged on Sunday afternoon in the Rauzan Upazila of Chattogram, when local residents intervened to halt the scheduled burial of a 75-year-old man, identified as Sirajuddoula Dulal. The family of the deceased had publicly attributed his passing to natural causes, claiming he had suffered a sudden, fatal stroke earlier that morning. However, the discovery of severe head injuries and visible bloodstains soaking through the traditional white burial shroud triggered profound suspicion amongst villagers, who promptly refused to permit the final funeral rites and notified law enforcement authorities instead.
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Background and Family History
Sirajuddoula Dulal, the son of the late Abdus Sattar, originally hailed from the Nona Haji Talukdar Bari, situated within Ward 4 of the Purba Gujra Union under Rauzan Upazila. Whilst his ancestral roots remained firmly in the rural district, Dulal had resided in Chattogram city for a considerable duration. Having spent a significant portion of his life working abroad as an expatriate, he returned to Bangladesh approximately 10 to 12 years ago to settle permanently.
In terms of his personal background, Dulal had married twice during his lifetime. Following a formal divorce from his first wife, he entered into a second marriage. His first marriage produced two daughters, with whom he reportedly had no communication or contact for a prolonged period of nearly 20 years. His surviving second household consists of his wife, Jaheda Begum, and their three children.
Discovery of Injuries and Local Opposition
According to relatives, Sirajuddoula Dulal passed away at approximately 6:00 AM on Sunday at his urban residence located adjacent to the Sunnia Madrasah in the Mohammadpur area of Chattogram city. At around 2:00 PM on the same day, his body was transported via an ambulance from the metropolitan area to his ancestral village home in Rauzan for the final funerary proceedings.
An initial wave of skepticism emerged when the relatives who accompanied the body exhibited a distinct reluctance and objection to removing the corpse from the vehicle. Once the body was eventually carried inside the village home, local residents gathered to view the face of the deceased as per traditional customs. It was during this viewing that the villagers observed distinct gashes, a deep laceration on the head, and active bloodstains visible on the burial shroud.
The visible trauma directly contradicted the family’s narrative of a peaceful demise. Consequently, although arrangements had been finalised for the post-midafternoon (Asr) funeral prayers (Janazah), the community members intervened directly and refused to allow the service to proceed. Rejecting the assertion that the death was entirely natural, the alert villagers took decisive action by cordoning off the burial site and summoning the local police.
Contradictory Accounts from the Bereaved Family
When questioned regarding the suspicious circumstances, the individual family members provided conflicting and vague accounts regarding the timeline and cause of the physical trauma.
The victim’s second wife, Jaheda Begum, aged 65, maintained her original stance, stating firmly to reporters:
“My husband’s death was completely natural. He suffered a stroke and passed away from it.”
However, when pressed further about the prominent marks on the corpse, she added a contradictory detail, stating that her husband had sustained injuries two days prior to his death, acknowledging that there were multiple injury marks distributed across different parts of his body.
In contrast, the deceased man’s daughter, Jeni Akhtar, distanced herself from providing a definitive timeline or explanation of the events, expressing complete ignorance regarding the circumstances. She stated:
“I know absolutely nothing about how my father died. I only arrived at the residence after his passing had occurred.”
Law Enforcement Response and Formal Investigation
Upon receiving the urgent notification from the Purba Gujra Union residents, a team from the Rauzan Police Station arrived at the scene to take custody of the body and restore public order.
Sub-Inspector Saddam Hossain, the investigating officer present at the location, confirmed the presence of highly suspicious physical trauma on the deceased. He noted that multiple injury marks were discovered across various parts of the body during the initial physical inspection.
“Injury marks have been found on various parts of the corpse. We strongly suspect that he was struck or hacked on the head. The complete and detailed facts of the matter can only be ascertained with certainty once the official post-mortem examination report is received,” Sub-Inspector Hossain stated.
As per the latest updates from the scene, the police are currently compiling the mandatory inquest report (Suratthal). Following the completion of this preliminary documentation, the law enforcement agency is making all necessary arrangements to dispatch the body to the morgue of the Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for a comprehensive autopsy to scientifically determine the exact cause, timing, and nature of the octogenarian’s death.