Shireen Sharmin Granted Bail

A Dhaka court has granted bail to former Speaker Dr Shireen Sharmin Chowdhury in a case involving an attempted murder allegation linked to Lalbagh Police Station.

On Sunday (12 April), Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Zakir Hossain approved her bail application after a hearing held in the capital. Court sources confirmed that she was not produced before the court on the day of the order. Legal representatives stated that there were no additional detention orders in other cases, meaning there is no immediate legal obstacle to her release from custody.

During the proceedings, defence counsel Ibnul Kawsar submitted a petition seeking bail on behalf of the accused. The Public Prosecutor of the Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Court, Omar Faruk Faruqi, opposed the application. After hearing both sides, the court granted bail on medical grounds against a bond of BDT 50,000.

According to earlier case records, Shireen Sharmin Chowdhury was detained from a residence on Road 8/A in Dhanmondi in the early hours of 6 April, around 4:30 am. Following her detention, she was taken to the Detective Branch office on Minto Road. She was subsequently shown arrested in an attempted murder case filed under Lalbagh Police Station on 7 April and produced before the court. The investigating officer later sought her detention in custody and also applied for a two-day remand, while the defence simultaneously requested cancellation of the remand and bail.

After hearing both sides, the court had previously rejected both the remand and bail applications and ordered her to be sent to jail custody.

Case background and allegations

The case relates to an incident described in the complaint as occurring during the July 2024 movement. According to the case statement, on 18 July 2024, during a procession in the Azimpur Government Colony area under Lalbagh Police Station, the victim, Md Ashraful alias Fahim, was participating in a protest march. The complaint alleges that the incident occurred in connection with directives and planning attributed to senior political figures, during which gunfire was opened on unarmed protesters, resulting in severe injuries to the complainant.

The complainant further stated that he sustained multiple gunshot wounds to various parts of his body, including his eye, head, face, and arm. He received initial treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital before being transferred to several specialised facilities, including the National Heart Foundation and the National Institute of Ophthalmology. Subsequent surgical procedures were reportedly carried out to remove bullets.

The case was formally filed on 17 July 2025 at Lalbagh Police Station by the injured complainant, seeking prosecution for attempted murder.

However, the defence has maintained that there is no direct or specific evidence linking Shireen Sharmin Chowdhury to the incident in question.

Key procedural timeline

Authorities have not issued further public clarification regarding ongoing investigations, while legal proceedings in the case remain under judicial consideration.