Former speaker Shirin gets bail in July attempted murder case

A Dhaka court has granted bail to former speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury in a case filed over a murder attempt during the July Uprising in the capital’s Lalbagh area.

The order was issued this afternoon following a hearing by the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Zakir Hossain in Dhaka.

Defence lawyer ABM Hamidul Misbah confirmed the development, stating that the court granted bail on a bond of Tk50,000, considering the accused’s gender and physical condition.

The case accuses her in connection with the attempted murder of Ashraful, also known as Fahin, under Lalbagh Police Station.

She was arrested in Dhanmondi of the capital in the early hours of 7 April in a case filed with Lalbagh Police Station over the attempted murder of a man named Ashraful.

She was detained between 04:30am and 04:50am from her relative’s residence on Dhanmondi 8/A and was taken to the Detective Branch (DB) office in Minto Road, DB Joint Commissioner Nasirul Islam told The Business Standard.

The case allegations note that the quota reform movement gained momentum on 18 July 2024. To suppress this student movement, the then Awami League government, along with the named and unnamed accused, allegedly opened fire on unarmed students with domestic and foreign firearms in Azimpur Government Colony under Lalbagh Police Station.

Ashraful, the plaintiff, was shot in his left eye (retina), head and other parts of the body during the protest, losing vision in his left eye, according to the case documents. 

He was treated initially at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, later operated on at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases and referred to the National Institute of Ophthalmology and Hospital. 

Several others were also reportedly injured or killed in the incident.

Sources concerned said six cases have been found against her so far.

On 25 May last year, Ashraful filed a case against 130 people including ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Detectives arrested Shirin Sharmin early today at a residence in Dhanmondi and brought her to the DB office for preliminary interrogation.

Shirin Sharmin resigned from the post of Speaker on 2 September 2024, 27 days after the fall of the Awami League government. She had served as speaker since 30 April 2013.