Lack of Media Coverage of Bangladeshi American Woman Crushed Under a New York City Subway Perplexes Twitterati

https://twitter.com/idontsleeepp/status/1525371674157273088https://twitter.com/BushraMollick/status/1525308742304251904

Almost a week after a Bangladeshi American woman was pushed to her death on a New York City subway track, there is no clear indication of how the incident occurred or if it’s being investigated as a hate crime. Zinat Hossain, 24, a student at Hunter College in Brooklyn died on the spot after she was crushed under the train at the 55th Street Station around 9.00 p.m. on May 11. Hossain was said to be returning home from her classes when the tragic incident occurred.

On May 11, 24-year-old Zinat Hossain, a Bangladeshi student at Hunter College in Brooklyn, died after snatchers pushed her onto a New York City subway track. Zinat's death is part of a continued, tragic pattern of violence against Asian Americans. @NextShark @bethejuggernaut pic.twitter.com/nCKEr0zYls

— Stand with Asian Americans (@StandwithAAs) May 16, 2022

While this is unfortunately not an uncommon occurrence in New York City due to the rise in crime against minorities, particularly Asian and South Asian Americans, what is most perplexing is the lack of reporting in any mainstream media. Bangladeshi media both in the U.S. and in the native country has however reported the case extensively.

Those reports have quoted Hossain’s uncle, Enamul Haque, president of the Greater Comilla Association, who provided the details. He told the media that the family who hailed from Daudkandi Upazila of Comilla moved to New York City in 2016. Hossain lived with her parents in Brooklyn, he told the media. Her only brother, Abid Hossain, is completing his postgraduate studies at Dhaka’s Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University.

According to a report in bdnews24.com, billed as ‘Bangladesh’s First Internet Newspaper,’ Hossian’s grandfather Mohammad Kabir refuted a police report that claimed that his granddaughter committed suicide. He was speaking at Hossain’s funeral on May 14 at the Baitul Jannah Mosque in Brooklyn. 

“The police report says Zinat committed suicide, but we don’t believe it,” the bdnews24.com report quoted him as saying. “They said she ‘died due to the fall’. But in actuality, this was a ‘hate crime’. Our community must unite in protest against this.” She was the only daughter of Amir Hossain and Jasmine Hossain, the report said. 

The lack of coverage in the local media was lamented on Twitter as well.

Sharing a tweet from Hossian’s cousin Reza Islam, a user reached out to some journalists to cover the news. “There are almost no articles or reports that can be found to help us understand what happened to this young woman,” he tweeted.

My friend Reza is a well known attorney in NYC and posted about th tragic death of Zinat Hossain from Hunter College. @CeFaanKim @Syissle there are almost no articles or reports that can be found to help us understand what happened to this young woman. We need your help to report pic.twitter.com/oFvtAvJM7n

— Ivez ইভান (@Ivez) May 15, 2022

Another user named Jaana wondered why it took two days to report Hossian’s death.

Similarly, Bushra Mollick, founder of BD Sex Education, the first comprehensive sex education website offered entirely in Bangla, tweeted about reading Bangladeshi news reports on Hossiand’s death, but no local reports. “I feel like it would have already been covered by local media, but I haven’t seen anything.”