In Nijtaj village of Kalyani Union, Pirgachha Upazila, Rangpur, a woman named Shefali Begum was reportedly tied to a betel nut tree and tortured by her husband’s family members on Saturday morning. The incident, filmed and later circulated on social media, sparked outrage across the region.
Shefali, who married expatriate Nazrul Islam in 2014, alleged that after years of neglect, she recently learned from neighbors that her husband had divorced her without notice. When she went to Nazrul’s house to request official divorce papers, his relatives tied her to a tree outside and beat her.
Following the video’s circulation, police visited the site and Shefali filed a case against six individuals, including her sister-in-law Amena Begum, who has since been arrested. Police are continuing efforts to detain the remaining accused, confirmed Officer-in-Charge Abdul Quddus of Mahiganj Police Station.
The survivor remains physically and emotionally shaken, as the video has reignited discussions around the public humiliation and violence faced by women in rural Bangladesh — acts often dismissed as “family disputes” but rooted in systemic gendered impunity.
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