Professor SM Anowara Begum, a freedom fighter and retired political science teacher at Jagannath University (JnU), has been sent to jail after her bail plea was rejected in connection with an attempted murder case filed over an attack on protesters during the quota reform movement on July 19 last year.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Mostafizur Rahman passed the order after AKM Mahmudul Kabir, sub-inspector of Sutrapur Police Station and investigation officer in the case, produced her in court and applied for her confinement until the investigation is completed.
In the forwarding report, the investigation officer said that Anowara is named in the FIR, with preliminary findings indicating her involvement in the incident.
He argued that granting her bail could lead to her fleeing indefinitely, necessitating her detention until the probe is concluded.
Defence lawyers, however, pleaded for bail, citing her age and status as a freedom fighter.
"She fought for our independence in 1971. She was not involved in the incident and has been falsely implicated to harass her. Bail should be granted on humanitarian grounds," said her lawyer, Sohrab Hossain Sohel.
Upon hearing both sides, the magistrate denied bail and ordered her transfer to Kashimpur Women's Central Jail in Gazipur.
Prof Anowara was arrested yesterday afternoon in front of Jagannath University campus in connection with the case filed over the attempted killing of Sujon Molla, the former general secretary of the university unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
The arrest occurred at around 7:30pm after students handed her over to police, said Sutrapur Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Saiful Islam.
Prof Anowara previously held the position of chairperson of the Department of Political Science and served as the dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at JnU.
The case relates to an incident where Sujon Molla was shot in the eye during the mass uprising near Star Hotel on July 19 last year.
On February 16, Molla filed a case with a Dhaka court against 192 individuals, including several former government officials, JnU teachers, administrative personnel, and 94 Chhatra League activists.
After a hearing, the magistrate directed Sutrapur Police Station to register the complaint as a formal case. The police subsequently recorded it as a regular case on February 25.
