Gaibandha Correspondent:

Police have recovered the hanging body of a police member, Habibur Rahman (33), from the barracks of the Superintendent of Police’s official residence in Gaibandha. According to police, he is believed to have died by suicide following a family dispute while speaking with his wife on a video call.

The body was recovered at around 3:30 pm on Thursday from a washroom inside the barracks of the Superintendent of Police’s residence in the district town. The matter was confirmed in the evening by Additional Superintendent of Police (B-Circle) Sheikh Muttazul Islam.

The deceased, Habibur Rahman, was the son of Montu Mia of Sardar Para area under Nilphamari Sadar Upazila. He served as a Nayek in the Bangladesh Police and is survived by a young son.

According to police sources, Habibur Rahman joined duty at the Gaibandha Superintendent of Police’s bungalow guard unit on August 12 this year after being transferred from Dhaka. He had been residing in the barracks with other police personnel.

At around 3:30 pm, fellow officers noticed that the washroom door had remained locked for an unusually long time. Becoming suspicious, Guard Commander Sohel Mia called out to him several times. Receiving no response, he and other members forced the door open and found Habibur Rahman hanging inside. He was later declared dead.

A preliminary inquest report was prepared in the presence of Executive Magistrate Sabbir Hossain.

OC of Gaibandha Sadar Police Station, Nazmul Islam, said that according to fellow police members and the guard commander, Habibur Rahman had been arguing with his wife over family matters during a video call earlier in the day. At one point, he entered the washroom and, while the video call was still ongoing, allegedly took his own life.

Additional Superintendent of Police Sheikh Muttazul Islam stated, “We have initially learned that he may have taken this step due to a family dispute. However, the incident is being thoroughly investigated to determine the exact cause of death.”

The incident has cast a shadow of grief among members of the police department.