Police have recovered the hanging body of a female media worker from her residence in the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar area on Saturday evening. The deceased was employed as a graphic designer at the online news outlet Dhaka Stream. According to police, family members broke down the door after failing to contact her and took her to a nearby private hospital, where doctors declared her dead. Officer-in-Charge Emaul Haque confirmed that the body was later sent for autopsy, and the cause of death will be determined after the post-mortem report. No case has yet been filed.
Social media posts have claimed that the woman was among those who filed a written complaint in July against Dhaka Stream’s Bengali Content Editor, Altaf Shahnewaz, accusing him of sexual harassment. Attempts to reach Altaf for comment were unsuccessful. Some online users have alleged that he was reinstated after being initially removed from duty, though police have not confirmed these claims.
Following the incident, Bangladesh Mahila Parishad and the We Can Prevent Family Violence Alliance—with signatories including Sultana Kamal, Shaheen Anam, Shipa Hafiza, and Rekha Saha—issued separate statements expressing concern and questioning workplace safety for women in the media sector.
In an official statement released later in the day, Dhaka Stream said the complaint against Altaf Shahnewaz had been investigated by a two-member committee, which found evidence of “disrespectful behavior” but claimed the woman’s death was unrelated to the earlier incident. The organization described current online discussions linking the two events as “misinformation.” Police say an investigation is ongoing.
Bangladesh Feminist Archives 