Feni: A 32-year-old woman in Feni’s Parshuram upazila has allegedly been divorced by her husband for voting for the BNP’s ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol in the 13th national election held on February 12. The incident occurred in Paglirkul village under Chithlia union and caused a stir in the locality after becoming public on Monday afternoon.
According to United News of Bangladesh, the woman, Runa Akhter Munni, stated that her husband, Nur Mohammad Sumon, inquired about her voting choice on the night before the election. She expressed her intention to vote for the ‘Sheaf of Paddy’ symbol, a choice influenced by her father’s voting history. Despite being forbidden by Sumon from going to the polling station, Runa went to cast her vote at Rajshapur Ali Azzam High School polling centre while her husband was away.
Runa recounted that upon Sumon’s return, he mentioned voting for the ‘Scale’ symbol, which had won locally. When she revealed her voting choice, Sumon did not react immediately. However, the following morning, he allegedly assaulted Runa and their eldest son, took land documents, and left the house. Runa claimed that Sumon later informed neighbors about the divorce, which he allegedly processed through the court.
When contacted, Sumon refuted the claim that the divorce was due to voting choices. He attributed the decision to various family disputes, asserting that Runa was not a registered voter, and therefore, could not have voted. He confirmed registering the divorce via an affidavit at the Feni Notary Public Office on February 15 and sending the notice by post.
Documents reviewed by UNB revealed that an affidavit concerning the divorce was indeed issued on February 15, citing family issues like alleged misconduct and failure to maintain family life. Local sources confirmed Runa’s status as a registered voter, with voter number 4229560646 and voter slip number 578.
Runa and Sumon, who married on November 7, 2014, have two sons, Mobarak Hossain Murad, 10, and Mohammad Mostakim Hossain, 3. Sumon operates a shop called Bhai Bhai Store at Rajshapur Bazar. Neighbors, including Kausar Alam and farmer Abdul Kader, corroborated Runa’s account, with Kader stating that Sumon had informed him about sending a divorce notice.
Following the public revelation of the dispute, local BNP leaders, including Chithlia Union BNP President Munshi Nazrul Islam Jahangir and General Secretary Master Sheikh Ahmed, visited Sumon’s residence. Upazila BNP Convener Abdul Halim Manik criticized the incident, alleging that Sumon divorced Runa over her voting choice, labeling such acts as detrimental to society.