Village Police Officer’s Wife Stabbed to Death in Rajshahi

A 40-year-old woman, the wife of a village police officer, was allegedly stabbed to death after an attacker entered her home in Paba upazila of Rajshahi. Her son was also seriously injured when he reportedly tried to save her. Following the incident, angry local residents set fire to the home of the alleged attacker, although the family had already fled the area.

The incident took place at around 7.30pm on Friday in Harian East Para village of Paba. A murder case was filed later that night with Katakhali Police Station in connection with the killing.

The deceased was identified as Farida Khatun, 40, whose husband, Lalon Sheikh, works as a village police officer under Harian Union Parishad. Their son, Md Faisal, sustained serious injuries in the attack and was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for treatment.

Hospital sources said Farida was brought to the emergency department after the attack, but doctors declared her dead. Her body remained at the medical college morgue until 11am on Saturday as the authorities proceeded with the necessary formalities.

According to Chhaber Ali, acting chairman of Harian Union Parishad, he had learnt that Farida was allegedly stabbed by Md Parash, 18, the son of her neighbour, Md Babu. Following the killing, residents reportedly became enraged and set fire to Babu’s house. By that time, however, members of the family had reportedly left the property.

A family member who witnessed the incident, Basia Begum, Farida’s mother-in-law, gave a detailed account of what allegedly happened. She said Parash had reportedly been involved in an incident earlier on Friday in which someone was allegedly assaulted. In the evening, Farida was discussing the matter when Parash’s mother, Poly Khatun, overheard the conversation and informed her son.

According to Basia Begum, Parash then came down from the roof of the three-storey building while allegedly shouting abusive words. Two other people and his mother reportedly accompanied him. One of the men allegedly attacked Farida with a knife, seriously injuring her. When her son Faisal attempted to intervene and protect his mother, he was also allegedly attacked and wounded.

The incident has left the neighbourhood tense, with the alleged killing followed by an act of retaliatory violence against the accused person’s family home. Such developments can further complicate criminal investigations and raise concerns about public safety and the risk of mob retaliation.

When the house was visited at around 11.30am on Saturday, the third floor of the three-storey building was found to be still under construction, while the first two floors were reportedly used as living quarters by the family. A fire was still burning inside one of the rooms of the house at the time. No one was found at the property. Local residents said the family members had fled soon after the incident.

Gaziur Rahman, deputy commissioner and spokesperson for Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said Lalon Sheikh, the victim’s husband, had filed the murder case as the complainant with Katakhali Police Station. No suspect had been arrested by Saturday morning, according to the police.

Police also said that the alleged attacker, Parash, had previously been arrested in connection with a drug-related case. Investigators are now expected to examine the circumstances leading to the attack, identify all those allegedly involved and determine the sequence of events that resulted in Farida’s death and her son’s injuries.

The killing has also drawn attention to the fragile security situation that can emerge from disputes within closely connected neighbourhoods. Authorities will have to establish the precise motive and circumstances through investigation, while efforts to apprehend those named in the case remain under way.