Petition filed seeking criminal case over alleged neglect leading to female doctor’s death

A petition has been filed seeking a criminal case against four individuals, including the husband and father-in-law of Dr Nafisa Tabassum Dhipra, a female doctor who reportedly died due to negligence in duty.

The application was submitted today (16 June) before the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana by one of her relatives Md Mashiur Rahman Shah.

The court recorded the complainant’s statement and has kept its order pending, confirmed the complainant’s lawyer Farhad Hossain, adding that the proposed case names four principal accused, along with several unidentified individuals.

Those named are Siddika Sultana, the deceased doctor’s mother-in-law; her husband Dr Rahmat Rashid; her father-in-law Dr Mohammad Abdur Rashid, head of the Cardiac Department at BIRDEM Hospital; and Simu Naser, editor of the satirical platform Earki.

According to the complaint, Dr Dhipra and Dr Rahmat Rashid developed a relationship while studying together and later got married. The couple have a two-year-old son.

There are allegations that because Dr Dhipra came from a comparatively less affluent family, she was subjected to physical and psychological abuse by the accused from the outset of the marriage.

The complaint states that the sustained mental abuse led to severe depression. Following the birth of her child, she reportedly suffered from postpartum depression, as well as high blood pressure and diabetes.

It further alleged that despite being medical professionals themselves, the accused deliberately neglected her healthcare needs and refused to bear the cost of treatment. They are also accused of obstructing her preparation for FCPS examinations.

The complaint notes that before her death Dr Dhipra had posted in a Facebook group titled “Female Doctors in Bangladesh”, describing the domestic abuse she had allegedly endured.

According to the allegations, Dr Dhipra was locked inside a room for three consecutive days beginning on 2 June. During that period, she was allegedly denied food and prevented from seeing her two-year-old child.

On 4 June, after receiving information about the situation, Dr Dhipra’s mother reportedly travelled to her apartment in Dhanmondi. Upon finding her daughter confined, she requested that the room be unlocked. The husband allegedly opened the door, reads the complaint.

The complaint also states that immediately after being released, Dr Dhipra embraced her mother and moments later, she collapsed onto the floor.

The complainant further alleged that, after she collapsed, the accused deliberately delayed taking her to a nearby hospital. Instead, she was later transported to BIRDEM Hospital, allegedly through the influence of her father-in-law.

The complaint claims that Dr Dhipra died on the way to the hospital.

It also alleged that following her death, the accused used their influence to obtain a death certificate without a post-mortem and arranged a swift burial in an attempt to destroy evidence.

The complaint concludes that Dr Dhipra’s death was not natural but rather the result of a premeditated killing, accompanied by efforts to destroy evidence.