A woman in Chapainawabganj’s Shibganj area was reportedly divorced by her husband after she voted for the scale symbol, defying his instruction. The incident occurred on Friday in the Sheikh Tola Tartipur Road area of Shibganj Municipality’s Ward 6. The woman, Tarafun Khatun, said her husband, Soibur Rahman, a local BNP activist, had forbidden her from voting for the scale symbol. After she did so, he divorced her. The couple had been married for 31 years and have two daughters and one son. Tarafun is now staying at her sister-in-law’s house with her children.

Soibur Rahman admitted that he divorced his wife in anger and is now trying to reconcile. Their son, Tarif Hossain, said his father acknowledged his mistake but his mother does not wish to return. Jamaat-e-Islami’s Shibganj municipal leader Abdul Aziz Mahmud confirmed that Tarafun was divorced for voting for the scale symbol and said the party would support her. Local human rights official S.M. Mohiuddin described the divorce as a clear violation of democratic and human rights.

The incident has sparked local uproar and renewed discussion about women’s voting rights and political intolerance in the area.