Bangladesh arrests former speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury after months in hiding

Bangladesh’s former parliamentary speaker Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury , the first female speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad , was arrested on Tuesday by the Detective Branch of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) in connection with cases linked to violence during the July 2024 mass uprising , media reports said.

Police said a DB team detained Chaudhury from a relative’s residence in Dhanmondi in Dhaka early Tuesday following a raid based on intelligence inputs. Investigators said she had been in hiding for months after the fall of the Awami League government following the uprising that forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina to flee the country.

Authorities later showed her arrested in a case filed at Lalbagh police station over allegations of violence, vandalism and attempted murder during the protest movement. Officials said she is also named in multiple cases filed at Banani and Uttara police stations in Dhaka and another in Rangpur .

After her detention, Chaudhury was taken to the DB office for questioning and later produced before the Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court . Police sought a two-day remand for interrogation , but the court rejected both the remand request and her bail plea, ordering that she be sent to jail while the investigation continues .

Chaudhury served as speaker of parliament from April 2013 to September 2024 and represented the Rangpur-6 constituency . She earlier served as state minister for women and children affairs before being elevated to the speaker’s post.

Her arrest comes amid a wider crackdown on leaders of the ousted Awami League following the uprising. Several prominent figures have been detained or investigated, including former law minister Anisul Huq , former private industry and investment adviser Salman F Rahman , senior party leaders Amir Hossain Amu , Dipu Moni , Rashed Khan Menon , Hasanul Haq Inu , and former state minister Zunaid Ahmed Palak , along with several former MPs and police officials.

Authorities say hundreds of cases linked to killings and attacks during the protests have been filed across Bangladesh, with thousands of politicians, officials and activists under investigation as the interim administration continues legal proceedings related to the uprising.