Husband sentenced to life for dowry-related killing in Faridpur

A Faridpur court has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife, Rima Biswas, allegedly after her family failed to meet further dowry demands. The court also fined the convict Tk 300,000 and ordered that the money, once recovered, be handed over to the victim’s family.

The verdict was delivered on Monday (27 July) by Shamima Parveen, judge of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal and District and Sessions Judge in Faridpur.

The convict, Manojit Sarker, was not present in court when the verdict was announced. The court subsequently issued an arrest warrant against him.

Six other relatives of Manojit—Bipul Sarker, Sarjit Sarker, Liton Sarker, Biplob Sarker, Sabuj Sarker and Dipali Sarker—were acquitted after the prosecution failed to establish their involvement in the killing.

According to the case documents and the first information report, Rima, daughter of Ranjan Biswas of Jarjonnagar village in Madhukhali upazila, married Manojit, son of Chittaranjan Sarker of Kalaikanda village in the same upazila, in early 2015. The couple later had a daughter.

The prosecution case stated that Rima’s family provided Tk 400,000 in dowry at the time of the marriage, along with three and a half bhori of gold and furniture worth around Tk 50,000. The family allegedly gave a further Tk 100,000 on different occasions, but the demands did not stop.

According to the allegations, Manojit demanded another Tk 100,000 on 5 April 2018. When the demand was not met, Rima was allegedly subjected to further abuse. On the afternoon of 20 April, she was allegedly strangled with nylon thread.

The incident was initially presented as a suicide. After Rima’s death, Manojit reportedly lodged an unnatural death case with Madhukhali police and told her family that she had taken her own life because she could no longer bear severe stomach pain.

The post-mortem examination, however, reportedly found evidence inconsistent with suicide and indicated that Rima had died from strangulation. The finding prompted further legal action and intensified scrutiny of the circumstances surrounding her death.

On 10 May 2018, Rima’s father, Ranjan Biswas, filed a case with Madhukhali police against Manojit and six of his relatives, alleging that his daughter had been subjected to abuse and killed over dowry demands.

In the complaint, Ranjan alleged that Rima had faced physical and mental abuse from the early days of her marriage. Her family had allegedly provided additional money in an effort to preserve the marriage, but the alleged mistreatment continued. He further claimed that another demand for Tk 100,000 was made on the morning of the incident and that Rima was killed after the family said it could not provide the money.

Following an investigation, Mahabul Karim, then a sub-inspector at Madhukhali police station, submitted a charge sheet to the court on 24 October 2018, naming all seven accused.

The case then proceeded through a lengthy judicial process lasting about seven years. After considering the evidence presented during the trial, the court found Manojit guilty and sentenced him to life imprisonment. The court also directed the district magistrate and district administration to take the necessary steps to recover the fine and ensure that the full amount reaches Rima’s family.

The verdict has brought the long-running case to a judicial conclusion, although the arrest warrant means the convicted man must still be taken into custody to serve the sentence.

Speaking after the verdict, Public Prosecutor of the Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal Golam Rabbani Bhuiyan described dowry as a serious social problem. He said those who subject women to violence or kill them over dowry demands should not expect to escape legal accountability.

The case also highlights the difficulties families can face when alleged dowry-related abuse escalates within a marriage. Rima’s death, the subsequent post-mortem findings and the years-long court proceedings ultimately led to a conviction, while the six other accused were acquitted because their involvement could not be proved.