Murder case filed after Bhola college student's body recovered from Meghna

A murder case has been filed after the body of a college student was recovered from the Meghna River in Burirhat area of Lakshmipur Sadar upazila.

The deceased was identified as Sukorna Akhter Ipsita, 22, a third-year honours student of botany in Bhola Government College.

The body of Sukorna was found floating in the river on the night of June 20, Abdul Mannaaf, officer-in-charge of Lakshmipur Sadar Police Station, confirmed yesterday evening.

Sukorna's father, Masud Rana, said his daughter left their home in Bhola around 8:00am on June 17 and could not be reached thereafter. Later, someone called the family and claimed she had jumped off the Dhaka-bound launch Karnaphuli-4.

"When I went to the Karnaphuli-4 office with her photo, they confirmed her identity," the grieving father told the correspondent.

She was identified from her clothing and photographs on June 21.

"My daughter had clear marks of torture," claimed her father. "Her hair was chopped off, and there were signs of assault all over her body. Authorities must trace her mobile call records to reveal what really happened -- and why she was on that launch in the first place," said the victim's father.

Azizul Haque, the river police inspector who recovered the body, also confirmed that there were signs of injury and bruises on the corpse, suggesting possible foul play.

Later, Md Azizul Haque, in-charge of the Maju Chowdhury Ghat River Police Outpost, filed the murder case with the police station against unidentified individuals, OC Mannaaf said.

According to Nantu Babu, supervisor of Karnaphuli-4, the launch had already crossed Kaliganj after leaving Ilisha Ghat when they were alerted that a young woman had jumped into the river from the third floor. The vessel turned back in search of her. She was briefly spotted in the water but got vanished before they could reach her. The Coast Guard was informed, and the launch resumed its journey to Dhaka.

A manager of Brothers Navigation, Alaudin, said another female passenger called the national emergency number 999 after the incident, claiming the victim had taken her own life following a sexual assault. Upon reaching Munshiganj, police detained two launch staff and the female caller for questioning but later released them after finding no initial evidence of involvement.

According to the victim's family, Sukorna was a Chhatra Dal leader at the college.