The Voice News:
A Dhaka University student has reportedly died by suicide in Singair, Manikganj, after an old Facebook comment allegedly containing derogatory remarks about the Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) resurfaced and led to threats.
The deceased, Shakil Ahmed (24), was a final-year student at the Faculty of Fine Arts. He was the son of Nasiruddin Ahmed (known locally as Nuson) from South Jamsha village in Jamsha Union of the upazila.
Shakil took his own life at his home late Monday night, according to Singair Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) JOM Toufiq Azam.
Police said Shakil had posted a comment on someone’s Facebook post around seven to eight months ago, which was then alleged to contain blasphemous content about the Prophet (PBUH). Shakil had later deleted the comment and issued a public apology via another post.
However, that old post began circulating again on Facebook on Monday, prompting some individuals to visit his home and threaten him, according to his family members.
OC Toufiq Azam said, “He posted a suicide note on Facebook admitting his mistake and then took his life late at night.”
His body was recovered and sent to the morgue at Manikganj Medical College Hospital. A case of unnatural death has been filed.
Shakil’s Facebook ID was under the name ‘Shakil Chitrakar’. On Monday night, he made several consecutive posts.
In his final post, he wrote:
“I am not an atheist, but everyone in the village is calling me one. I know, and my Allah knows, that I have not insulted Prophet Muhammad. My father used to be proud of me, and the people in the village respected me. Today, I have lost my honor among my own people. Tomorrow, people will curse my father and disgrace my mother. I can never bear this shame. As a son, I cannot live in this world after tarnishing my parents’ honor. I know suicide is a grave sin. I have committed many sins, and now I am preparing for one final sin.”
Amjad Hossain, the member of Ward 4 of Jamsha Union Parishad, said, “I heard that Nuson’s son from my ward died by suicide. But I don’t know why or what happened — I was busy working in the field.”
However, Shahidul Islam, member of Ward 2, said, “When the old Facebook post about the Prophet (PBUH) resurfaced, some respected locals visited his home and resolved the issue, as far as I heard. But later, due to shame, he took his life.”
Shakil’s cousin Mukta said, “Last night (Monday), hundreds of people from Jamsha and surrounding areas came to his house threatening him over the Facebook comment. Later that night, he took his own life.”
Shakil’s classmate Tushi Akter, a student of the Sculpture Department (2018-19 session), told bdnews24.com, “After he posted on Facebook last night, many of us tried to contact him. But his phone was off, and we couldn’t reach him. Later, we found out through social media that he had died by suicide.
“We are currently on vacation, which created a bit of a communication gap. So far, we don’t know the full story.”
Associate Professor Saifuddin Ahmed, Proctor of Dhaka University, said, “I’ve heard about the incident. I’ve asked my colleagues to look into it, although I’ve been informed that he had graduated a couple of years ago.”
In his final posts, Shakil also expressed a desire to donate his organs.
Before his last message, he made three other posts related to the incident. In the first one, he claimed that he mistakenly typed “Muhammad” instead of “Mahmudul” while commenting months ago, and that false accusations were made against him based on that.
A screenshot was shared showing a post by a person named Shihab Hossain Abir, who labeled Shakil an “atheist” and called for his “public stoning” in the Jamsha market square.
In a subsequent post, Shakil said the misunderstanding had become overwhelming and, in another post soon after, he repented for the mistake and asked for “forgiveness for the last time.” He then made the final post indicating his intent to die by suicide.
Regarding the claim that Shakil faced harassment over accusations of being an atheist, OC Toufiq Azam said, “We are investigating the matter.”
When asked whether action would be taken against those who allegedly harassed him, the OC replied, “If the family or someone else files a complaint, a case will be accepted and actions will be taken accordingly.”