A prominent hijra community leader in Bangladesh has been found dead at her home in Chattogram, with police arresting a man as part of an ongoing murder investigation.
Md Moshin, widely known as Moushumi and referred to by members of the community as Guruma, was found unresponsive at her home near Ambagan Railway Colony on 5 September.
Police said there was a visible mark around her neck, prompting an investigation into suspected strangulation.
Her body was taken to Chattogram Medical College Hospital for a post-mortem examination.
Suspect Arrested After CCTV Review
Community members became concerned after Moushumi stopped responding and later found her inside the home.
Following a review of CCTV footage, police arrested Md Momin, also known as Sheikh Roni, in Chattogram.
Investigators allege that footage showed Momin entering Moushumi’s home in the early hours of the morning and leaving several hours later.
Police have said that during preliminary questioning, Momin admitted involvement in her death.
According to investigators, an argument over money allegedly took place before Moushumi was strangled.
The precise circumstances remain under investigation and the allegations against Momin have not yet been tested in court.
Community Calls For Justice
Following Moushumi’s death, members of Chattogram’s hijra community gathered outside her home and called for a fair and thorough investigation.
As Guruma, Moushumi held a leadership role within the local community, a position that can carry significant social and cultural importance within hijra networks.
Her death has therefore been felt not simply as the loss of an individual, but of a community figure.
Police have not publicly indicated that her gender identity was a motive in the killing.
That distinction is important, particularly in a country where hijra and transgender people continue to face widespread discrimination and social exclusion.
Who Are Bangladesh’s Hijra Community?
Hijra is a long-established South Asian gender identity with cultural traditions that predate modern Western understandings of transgender identity.
Bangladesh’s government formally recognised hijras as a distinct gender category more than a decade ago, with the decision published in the official gazette in 2014.
That recognition was considered a significant step, but rights organisations have repeatedly warned that legal recognition has not automatically translated into equality.
Hijra people in Bangladesh continue to face barriers in employment, healthcare, housing and access to government services, alongside harassment and social stigma.
Human Rights Watch has also documented cases where attempts to implement official third-gender recognition led to invasive and humiliating treatment.
Moushumi’s death comes against that wider backdrop of marginalisation, while her community now waits for answers about exactly what happened inside her Chattogram home.
