No place left for a single mother

Taslima Begum Renu lived the difficult life of a single mother with her little girl Tuba in Dhaka.

The 38-year-old woman’s journey came to an abrupt end on Saturday as she was brutally beaten to death by a mob in Badda area of the city.

Four-year-old Tuba is still searching for her mother while holding a photo of Renu in her hand.

Presently living with her uncle, Tuba was heard shouting “Ammu kokhon asbe, ami aam khabo,” roughly translated as “When will my mother return, I want to eat mangoes with her.” 

Her voice echoes across the rooms, but no one has the heart to answer her.

Renu had gone to Uttar Badda Govt Primary School on Saturday morning for the purpose of her daughter’s admission.

When she entered the school seeking information about admission procedure people beat her to an inch of her life over suspicion that she could be a child kidnapper. 

She was then rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) where she succumbed to her injuries the same day.

“We have found several wounds on her body. She bled to death because of these wounds,” said Dr Pradip Biswas, lecturer of DMC forensic department.

After identifying her body at the DMCH, Renu’s nephew Nasir Udin Titu filed a case against around 500 people with Badda police station on Saturday night.

Assistant Police Commissioner Eline Chowdhury (Badda zone) told The Business Standard: “We are trying to arrest those involved with the mob beating, CCTV footage of the school and the nearby areas will help us to identify them.”

‘It makes no sense’

Following autopsy on Sunday, Renu was laid to eternal rest at her family graveyard in her hometown Lakshmipur’s Raipur area.

The Business Standard visited her residence in Mohakhali and spoke with her neighbours. Most of them wondered how people could have attacked such a caring mother who sacrificed her whole life for her children. 

“Renu was known as a ‘master’ in this area and she tutored my child too. It makes no sense how people mistook her for a kidnapper,” said the victim’s neighbour Halima Patwary.

On 2017, she had a divorce with her husband Taslim Uddin, 45. Since then she had been living in Mohakhali area. Her firstborn son Tahsin Al Mahir, 11, was separated from her following the divorce.

“As a single mother she earned her livelihood by tuition. Before then she was an employee at Aarong and had to quit the job for family crisis,” said her brother-in-law Badiuzzaman.

“She was abused by her husband when she was married. Then she died after being brutally beaten by a mob. Her whole life is a tragedy,” breaking into tears, Renu’s cousin Harun Ar Rashid said.

“What is the point of seeking justice when injustice is everywhere? I just hope no one else becomes a victim of mob justice like my sister,” he added.