It was February 14, the Valentine’s Day. This is the day to
celebrate the love of a couple – married or unmarried. This year, the Valentine’s
Day, however, became a Double-D Day (Double-Death Day) for two Bangladeshi
teenagers deeply in love.
Soud Sheikh (17) and Mitu Mollah (16) were from two
neighbouring villages in Gopalganj Distirct, Bangladesh. Their love, initially
secret, grew in intensity and ultimately became public. Parents of the girl,
Mitu, became furious and, two months ago, took her to a town 200 kilometres
(120 miles) away and forced her into marriage with a man twice her age.
Soud Sheikh was a student in Dhaka city. He returned to his
village on February 13 to meet his loved one who had returned to her parents’
house for a few days. On February 14, they climbed a cell-phone tower, tied
their hands with a scarf, and made a jump together. Their severely injured
bodies were found at the foot of the tower and they died on the way to the
local clinic.
Soud had called his brother earlier saying that he and Mitu would
commit suicide on the Valentine’s Day so that they might be together in future
life.
The local police suspect that these two teenagers must have
used their cell-phones to decide on their suicide pact, reports AFP.
Bangladesh, in general, has a conservative attitude towards free
mixing and free love between a male and a female. Usually the parents or guardians
decide on the arranged marriages. Every year, a remarkable number of lovers
commit suicide when their love faces hard challenge and rejection from parents or guardians.
