Bangladeshi actor arrested for criticising Muhammad Yunus’ regime: Reports
Dhaka: Bangladeshi actor Meher Afroz Shaon has been arrested on charges of conspiring against the state, local media reported on Friday, citing law enforcement officials.
Shaon was taken into custody by police in the Dhanmondi area on Thursday night, according to Additional Police Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mallik of the Detective Branch, who confirmed the arrest to The Dhaka Tribune. Authorities stated that she has been charged with sedition and is currently under interrogation.
Her detention came just hours after an attack on her family home in Jamalpur. Shaon herself had contested for a reserved parliamentary seat as an Awami League candidate in the last election. Reports suggest that her arrest is linked to her criticism of Bangladesh’s interim government, which is currently led by Muhammad Yunus.
The attack on Shaon’s family home followed a major incident in Dhaka, where a mob targeted and set fire to the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding leader and the father of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. The house, located in Dhanmondi 32, was stormed on Wednesday by demonstrators who used bulldozers to breach the main gate before setting the property ablaze.
Protesters reportedly described the residence as a symbol of authoritarianism and voiced their intent to erase all traces of Mujibism from the country. The crowd also chanted slogans against Sheikh Hasina, who fled Bangladesh for India on August 5 last year amid mounting protests against her administration.
Tensions escalated further in Dhaka on Thursday as Awami League supporters prepared to stage demonstrations. Ahead of the planned protests, several party members were arrested, with the group intending to disrupt transportation and bring the capital to a standstill.
Since Hasina’s government was ousted on August 5 last year, Bangladesh has been engulfed in political unrest, with widespread protests and violent clashes continuing across the country.