Death relieves Mimi's pain

Monika Afroz Mimi died yesterday morning after a nine-day fight for life at the City Hospital.

Mimi, 22, a third year architecture student of the Ahsanullah University, sustained severe burns in a fire attack allegedly by her boyfriend at West Razabazar in the city on January 4.

About 75 per cent of her body burnt, face badly, and eyes and lungs affected, Mimi succumbed to her injuries at about 9:30am.

According to eyewitnesses, cricketer Shafiuddin Babu and his friend Arif poured petrol on her and set her afire in front of the Mother Teresa Homes.

Mimi was rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) and was later shifted to the City Hospital at Panthapath upon deteri oration of her condition.

Mimi's elder brother Captain AS Masud Parvez blamed Babu and Arif for burning his only sister in a bid to kill. He filed a case with the Tejgaon Police Station against the two.

But police could not arrest any of them yet. Sources said Babu and Arif had fled the capital soon after the incident and went into hiding.

Mimi engaged herself with Babu, former strike bowler of the national team, last year.

Since her brother asked her to walk away from the relationship and concentrate on study, she was trying to talk Babu into forgetting her.

"We lost our only sister...we wanted to save her bad enough," Parvez told The Daily Star.

Mimi's body was sent to the DMCH morgue for an autopsy. The body will be taken to Jamgara in Savar for burial, family sources said.