A Dhaka court has granted bail to retired Jagannath University professor SM Anowara Begum, who had been sent to jail last Thursday in connection with an attempted murder case stemming from the July 2024 mass uprising.
The bail was granted today by Magistrate Minhazur Rahman of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) Court in Dhaka, following a hearing on a petition filed by her lawyer.
The bail application cited Anowara Begum’s age—70 years—and her deteriorating health condition, arguing that as a retired female academic with 35 years of teaching experience, she is entitled to bail under the Code of Criminal Procedure.
Despite opposition from the prosecution, the court approved her bail upon a bond of 500 taka.
Anowara Begum, a veteran of the Liberation War and former professor in the Political Science department, was also a member of the Bangladesh Public Service Commission (PSC).
She was arrested in a case filed by Sujon Molla, former general secretary of the Jagannath University unit of the student wing of a political party.
According to the case, on July 19, 2024, near Star Hotel in the Ray Saheb Bazar area, shots were allegedly fired at demonstrators participating in an anti-discrimination movement.
The incident reportedly occurred under the instigation of pro-government university faculty, with student activists allegedly carrying out the attack.
Sujon Molla was injured in the shooting, sustaining an eye injury, and subsequently filed the case on February 16 at Sutrapur Police Station.
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