Bangladeshi Human rights groups have called for a severe penalty for a young man who supposedly cut off a large portion of his wife’s right hand.
According to the police, 30 years old Rafiqul Islam attacked his wife because she decided to continue higher education without his approval. Mr Islam, a migrant worker, is said to have acknowledge committing the offense soon after returning from the Gulf.
Nevertheless, there is no official confirmation from him that he is the person responsible for his wife situation.
Recently, there have been a number of cases in which educated women are being targeted for domestic violence and this is one of them.
Police say that Mr Islam, who works in the United Arab Emirates, tied up his 21-year-old wife, Hawa Akther Jui, earlier this month. He then taped her mouth and cut off the five fingers.
‘Severe consequences’
Doctors say the fingers cannot be re-attached and it seems that Ms Akther will have to live with infinite deformity.
Rafiqul Islam is reported to have confessed to the crime
According to the statement Ms Akther gave BBC at the town of Narsingdi “After he came back to Bangladesh, he wanted to have a discussion with me. Suddenly, he blindfolded me and tied my hand”.
“He also taped my mouth saying that he would give me some surprise gifts. But, instead he cut off my fingers.”
She said her husband did not approve of her enrolling in a college for higher studies because he was not well educated.
All through their earlier telephone conversations, she said, he warned her of “severe consequences” if she went against his word.
“Doctors said my fingers could be re-attached within six hours but he refused to give them. After that time, another relative of my husband threw the fingers in a dustbin.
“We finally recovered them but it was too late,” said Ms Akther, who is still recuperating at her parents’ house.
She said that she does not want to live with her husband – who is now in police custody – anymore.
According to the police officer investigating the case, ARM Al-Mamun, “preliminary investigations” had led the police to believe that it was a “pre-planned attack”.
“He [the husband] admitted to cutting off his wife’s fingers. We will be pressing charges against him,” Mr Al-Mamum said.
One of Mr Islam family member said that the couple had “differences” on some issues, including her decision to pursue higher studies.
Ms Akther – who is eager to continue her studies – said that she wanted her husband to be severely punished for the attack.
“I have now started practising writing with my left hand. I want to see how far I can go. I never imagined that my fingers would be chopped off like this because of my studies.”
The attack follows an incident in June in which a university lecturer lost one eye while the other was badly wounded in an attack allegedly carried out by her husband.
The accused man in this case, Syeed Hasan Sumon, died in custody earlier this month while his trial was on pending.
Sourced from BBC