Dhaka: Bangladeshi actress Meher Afroz Shaon has been taken into custody for interrogation by the country’s detective branch. Additional Commissioner Rezaul Karim Mollick said that Shaon was brought in after receiving certain information, but he did not provide any additional details. The detention took place on Thursday.
“After receiving some information, we have detained Meher Afroz Shaon for questioning,” Rezaul Karim Mollick, Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Additional Commissioner (DB), informed the media report over the phone without providing any details.
When questioned about Shaon’s detention, the official said, “We have not taken any decision yet.”
On Facebook, Shaon, a well-known actress, director, dancer, and playback singer, has expressed disapproval of Bangladesh’s interim administration. Her arrest coincides with a string of demonstrations and vandalism, including an assault on Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s Dhaka home.
Shaon’s performance in the 2016 film “Krihnopokkho” earned her the Bangladesh National Film Award for Best Female Playback Singer. She was the late Humayun Ahmed’s wife, a well-known author and filmmaker.
Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s home in Dhaka was vandalized by a crowd on Wednesday, according to the Dhaka Tribune. Images revealed that one of the house’s floors was on fire.
According to the Dhaka Tribune, which cited UNB, the demonstrators rushed the property after bursting through the gate and demanding a ban on the Awami League. They caused extensive damage.
The demonstration was connected by local media to a speech made by former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina online. According to the Dhaka Tribune, social media postings had previously demanded a “Bulldozer Procession” towards Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s home at Dhanmondi-32 in the event that Sheikh Hasina gave a speech.
Separately, a group of demonstrators set fire to Shaon’s ancestral house in Jamalpur on Thursday night at about 6:00 p.m. close to Narundi Railway Station in Jamalpur Sadar Upazila, according to the Daily Star.
Her father, Engineer Mohammad Ali, who had previously run for an Awami League nomination, owned the mansion.
Begum Tahura Ali, her mother, was a Member of Parliament from 1996 to 2001 and again from 2009 to 2014.
