Woman Dies in Gas Cylinder Explosion at Marital Home; Father Alleges Murder and Domestic Abuse

In a shocking case of suspected domestic violence, a woman named Mahjabeen Laskar (alias Poonam) was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Silchar on September 17, 2024. The victim was allegedly burnt after the murder in a gas cylinder explosion. The victim’s father, Jamal Uddin Laskar, has lodged a formal complaint, accusing Mahjabeen’s husband and in-laws of torturing and ultimately killing her.

According to the FIR filed by the grieving father, the 59-year-old Jamal Uddin alleges that his daughter, Poonam was constantly harassed and tortured by her husband, Rukan Uddin Barbhuiya, and his family members first for being unable to pay the fixed dower of over two lakh rupees and later for failing to bear a male child. In four years of their marriage, Poonam had three daughters with her husband and now her alleged murderer Rukan Uddin Barbhuiya of Auliya Bazar in Cachar. Despite her attempts to endure the abuse in hopes of securing a better future for her daughters, the physical and mental abuse intensified over time.

On the morning of September 17, Poonam’s father, Jamal Uddin received a phone call from one of the accused, informing him that Mahjabeen had suffered severe burns in a gas fire and was being treated in the ICU at Silchar Medical College Hospital. Upon arriving at the hospital, Jamal Uddin discovered his daughter’s lifeless body in the emergency ward, with no trace of the accused family members. He promptly reported the matter to the Ghungoor Police Outpost.

The autopsy report is pending, but Jamal Uddin claims that Mahjabeen’s body bore several injury marks, suggesting she had been physically assaulted before her death. He also accused the in-laws of staging the fire to cover up her murder. Additionally, Jamal Uddin suspects that gold jewellery worth ₹1,75,000, which his daughter was wearing at the time of her death, was stolen by her in-laws during her hospital stay.

The grieving father is urging authorities to take immediate legal action against Rukan Uddin Barbhuiya and his family for the alleged murder and cover-up. He believes that the accused had meticulously planned the murder and later attempted to pass it off as an accident caused by a gas cylinder explosion.

This tragic incident has once again brought to light the issue of domestic violence and gender-based discrimination in society.