Former Speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury has been sent to jail after a Dhaka court rejected both her remand and bail petitions in a case filed over an attempted murder linked to a student-led protest.
On Tuesday (April 7), Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana of Dhaka issued the order following a hearing.
However, chaos erupted as she was being escorted from the courtroom. Amid a heavy rush of lawyers and journalists on the stairs of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court building, she lost her balance and fell. Witnesses said she cried out in pain after hitting the stairs. On-duty female police officers quickly assisted her, lifted her up, and escorted her under tight security to a prison van.
Earlier in the day, the investigation officer had produced her before the court under strict security and sought a two-day remand.
Defense lawyer Barrister Mamun argued that Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury is a respected figure with a clean reputation and a legal professional by background. He noted that the case was filed 10 months after the incident and that she had voluntarily resigned from her position. He urged the court to consider humanitarian grounds in granting bail.
Following arguments from both sides, the court rejected the petitions and ordered her to be sent to jail custody.
The case stems from an incident on July 18, 2024, during the quota reform movement, when Md. Ashraful (Fahim) reportedly lost his eyesight permanently after being shot inside the Azimpur Government Colony area.
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, listed as the third accused in the case, was arrested the previous night by Detective Branch (DB) police from a residence in Dhanmondi.
