Shafaqna Pakistan: Bangladeshi police on Tuesday arrested former parliament speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury on attempted murder charges, marking the first detention of a senior figure from Sheikh Hasina’s ousted government under the new administration.
Chaudhury, the country’s first female speaker and a former minister in Hasina’s cabinet, was taken into custody from a relative’s residence.
She has denied the allegations, with her lawyer, Shamim Al Sayeed, calling them “absurd” and stating that the court rejected their request for bail.
Chaudhury had largely remained out of public view since the 2024 mass uprising that led to Hasina’s removal from power.
Her arrest comes as part of a broader crackdown, with numerous members of Hasina’s now-banned Awami League detained in connection with cases linked to the government’s failed response to the uprising.
Investigators told the court on Tuesday that Chaudhury was a key figure in decision-making, alleging she was involved in planning and ordering attacks on unarmed civilians.
Police Inspector Mohsin Uddin told the court that on July 18, 2024, police, alongside Awami League activists, opened fire on unarmed students and other protesters.
Tarique Rahman, leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, won a landslide election victory in February, taking over from the interim administration that had led the country of 170 million people since the uprising.
Hasina, a convicted fugitive in hiding in India, was also named in the same case. Her case has strained relations between Dhaka and New Delhi.
Bangladesh’s Foreign Minister Khalilur Rahman is due to visit India on Tuesday as part of a “goodwill visit” to build relations.
Source: Express Tribune
