A college girl died in Sylhet early Friday after she had been dipped into cold water frequently at night as part of a spiritual healing process advised by a so-called female pir.
The police detained the son of the pir, Tafura Begum, and a domestic help of the girl’s house for interrogation in this connection.
The deceased was Syeda Marwa Rifat, 19, daughter of Syed Muhirur Rahman living in a rented house on the Electric Supply Road at Ambarkhana. Rifat passed the HSC examinations from a private college this year, the family said.
The detained are Tafura’s son Ismail, 28, her step-sister Chaan Bhanu, 52, her sister-in-law Shipa Begum, 25, and the domestic help of Rifat’s house Rukia Begum, 35.
Rifat’s family said she had been dipped into cold water frequently at night after she had refused to take shower as directed by the pir.
‘My sister fell unconscious at one point about 5:00am. But others of my family continued with a session of zikr (remembrance of Allah) with my sister lying on the bed,’ her younger brother Syed Marwan Rahman said.
Nazrul Islam Chowdhury, the owner of the house, said he had called out the members of the family about 7:00am as he heard people doing zikr inside but none made any response.
‘Rifat’s uncle Shafu Chowdhury later asked me through a window and said he was confined to the room as he had protested at the process of the healing process. He requested me to call the police,’ Nazrul said.
On information, the police reached the place about 8:00am and sent Rifat to Osmani Medical College Hospital where she was pronounced dead, according to the police and hospital sources.
The girl’s brother said the pir had advised some spiritual healing and they all went to sleep about 11:30pm on their return home. ‘My mother woke up all about 2.00am as she saw ghosts entering the house.’
The pir over telephone asked the members of the family to take shower in cold water and inhale smoke from burning papers and clothes. But Rifat refused to take shower.
Marwan said his mother and one of his uncles, Ishtiaq Chowdhury, forced Rifat to take shower several times and inhale smoke.
Police subinspector Anjan Das said the body was sent to the hospital morgue for a most-mortem examination.
Kotwali police second officer Narayan Datta in the afternoon said they had picked up the four for interrogation.
The pir went into hiding immediately after the incident, the police officer said.
