Bodies exhumed for fresh autopsy

As mystery continues to revolve around the cause of death of former child actress Nayar Sultana Lopa and Dr Shamarukh Mahajabin, their remains were exhumed yesterday after the families had rejected the autopsy reports.

Both the reports said the deceased committed suicide, but the families say they were murdered.

Meanwhile, the High Court has granted a four-week anticipatory bail to Amin Ali and Yeasmin Amin, Lopa's parents-in-law, in connection with her death.

The body of Lopa, a popular child actress in the 1980s, was exhumed from the Banani graveyard in the capital following a court order. The exhumation was carried out over one and a half months after her burial.

A Dhaka court had passed the order on November 26 hearing a petition filed by Lopa's mother Razia Sultana where she rejected the postmortem report prepared by Dhaka Medical College.

Apart from Razia, Executive Magistrate Shamima Banu and officials of Banani and Gulshan police stations were also present at the graveyard during the exhumation. 

Later, the body was sent to the morgue of Sir Salimullah Medical College for a fresh autopsy report.

“Lopa's husband Aly Amin was a drug addict and he killed her following a feud over his extra-marital affair with a Bangladeshi woman who lives in the USA,” Razia told The Daily Star.

“Aly used to torture my daughter every now and then,” she alleged.

"Lopa did not file any general diary or case over the matter considering family reputation. And finally, her husband killed her and hung the body with the ceiling fan to make it look like a suicide," she alleged.

On October 16, the hanging body of Lopa, who played Tuni, a young girl in a popular drama serial “Ei Shob Din Ratri” aired on Bangladesh Television in 1985-86, was recovered from her Gulshan home.

Aly Amin, who was arrested soon after the incident, is now in jail.

On the other hand, the parents-in-law of Lopa got the bail yesterday after they had appeared before the HC bench of Justice Syed AB Mahmudul Huq and Justice Md Akram Hossain Chowdhury.

The court passed the order on the grounds that there was no allegation against them of being involved in the incident, said Deputy Attorney General Bashir Ullah.

MAHAJABIN'S BODY EXHUMED

The body of Dr Shamarukh Mahajabin, who was found dead at her in-law's house in the capital's Dhanmondi on November 13, was exhumed in Jessore town yesterday morning for a fresh autopsy report.

The body was exhumed from Karbala graveyard around 11:45am in the presence of a team, comprising of the local administration, police members and doctors, led by Executive Magistrate Abdus Sobhan, said Shahanur Sharif, brother of Mahajabin.

The body was buried again in the afternoon after collecting viscera samples, said, Mahajabin's father Nurul Islam.

A Dhaka court on November 25 ordered that the body be exhumed for a fresh postmortem after Nurul filed a petition, rejecting the first autopsy report, which was also prepared by Dhaka Medical College.

Mahajabin husband Humayun Sultan and his parents claim she committed suicide, but her father says she was murdered by her husband and in-laws.

Humayun is in jail while his parents -- former lawmaker of Jessore-5 constituency Khan Tipu Sultana and Jesmin Ara -- are on bail.