Murder suspected in death of sexual minority leader in Bangladesh
Well-known guru was on good terms with her neighbors.
Mousumi Hijra, 52, a leader of the third-gender hijra community in Chattogram, southeastern Bangladesh, was found dead on Sept. 5, the victim of a suspected murder.
According to articles in the Bangladesh publications Green Online and TBS News:
Police suspect that Mousumi, a community guru, may have been strangled. She was found with blood coming from her mouth and an apparent ligature mark around her neck.
They claimed that the incident was a planned murder and demanded that those responsible be identified and brought to justice.
Mousumi’s body was sent to the Chattogram Medical College Hospital morgue for an autopsy.
Bangladesh police declined to comment on her death until after the autopsy is completed.
The human rights advocacy group JusticeMakers Bangladesh in France (JMBF) expressed concern about the way the police are handling the case, which they said could result in the destruction of crucial evidence, intimidation of witnesses and impunity for those responsible.
JMBF said that Mousumi’s death cannot be treated as an ordinary or isolated incident. “The suspicious death of a Hijra community leader inside her own residence represents a serious attack on the security, dignity and right to life of Bangladesh’s marginalised gender-diverse communities. If the State fails to take immediate and effective action, it will further entrench the culture of impunity,” JMBF said.
JMBF chief advisor Robert Simon said, “The suspicious death of a leader of the Hijra community in Chattogram cannot be ignored under any circumstances. This incident raises serious concerns about the security, dignity and right to justice of Bangladesh’s marginalised gender-diverse communities. It is the responsibility of the State to uncover the truth and bring those responsible to justice.”
Mousumi ran a small cattle farm behind her residence. Money from the Sept. 4 sale of a cow was missing from her home on Sept. 5, as were two of her mobile phones.
Local residents said Mousumi was a well-known in the city’s transgender community and was on good terms with her neighbors.
Hijras are officially recognized third-gender and transgender people in Bangladesh, India, and Pakistan who are typically perceived as male at birth but adopt feminine gender expression and roles.
