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A Maldivian model was found hanging by a noose in her dorm room at a women-only hostel in Bangladesh at her medical college, and police suspect suicide.
Bangladesh’s The Daily Star reports Raudha Athif was 20 years old when she was found dead a few weeks ago, and had recently appeared on the cover of Vogue India.
However her family has expressed disbelief that her death was caused by suicide; they believe that Islamic extremists staged her death.
Her brother, Rayyan told The Sun that the circumstances of her death semed suspicious to him.
“Raudha was a happy girl with a bright future and a promising career ahead of her,” he said. “She was friendly, lighthearted and full of life. Her friends and family find it impossible to believe that she would take her own life.
“There have been a series of murders in Bangladesh which have been staged to look like suicides and Islamic extremists have been suspected to be behind these atrocities.”
Rayyan added that he believes she was targeted by the extremists because she was a public figure who was promoting freedom for women and ‘immodest’ dress.
“Raudha was a strong woman, she would not back down and stood up for herself and for others. It could have made extremists boil up inside with anger.
“Her style of clothing was branded as ‘immodest’ and ‘un-Islamic’ even though she adhered to the dress code in the college premises by wearing a veil covering her face.
“But she was criticised for wearing jeans and was repeatedly told she couldn’t wear it at the Muslim college — which has a lot of extremist connections and support. Other students have also been subjected to this type of bullying.”
He was also suspicious of unexplained strangulation marks on her neck, which police claim are ‘birth marks’, though Athif didn’t have birth marks there according to Rayyan.
A change.org petition has started calling for a proper investigation into her death, due to the suspicious circumstances.
“It is clear to people internationally that local Police and College Staff are trying to cover up the Murder or Raudha Athif as a suicide,” the petition reads.
“To prevent damage to the international prestige of Bangladesch, an investigation must be initiated by the Central Investigative Department of Bangladesch.”
It has received almost 7000 signatures so far.
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