Ex-Miss Earth Bangladesh Meghna Alam detained for 'posing threat to public safety, law and order'
Actress and former Miss Earth Bangladesh winner Meghna Alam has been detained under the Special Powers Act following an appeal by the Detective Branch (DB) of police.
The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah ordered the detention last night (10 April).
Earlier, there were rumours that Meghna had been abducted but Dhaka Metropolitan Police later confirmed they had her in custody on charges of hampering diplomatic relationships and threatening to cause economic loss to the country by spreading lies. All legal processes have been followed, said DMP.
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They also said, she has the right to seek legal counsel.
According to the court order, Meghna has been detained for 30 days under Section 3(1) of the Special Powers Act, 1974 to prevent her from engaging in activities that could pose a threat to public safety and law and order, as defined in Section 2(f) of the act.
Following the court's order, Meghna was transferred to Kashimpur Central Jail.
This incident followed a Facebook Live broadcast on Wednesday evening, during which Meghna alleged that law enforcement personnel, claiming to be police, broke into her home. The livestream, which lasted over 12 minutes, was abruptly cut off shortly after the alleged intrusion and was later deleted.
Under the Special Powers Act, the government can detain individuals for a specified period without formal trial, typically in the interest of national security and public order.
Meghna previously rose to fame after winning the Miss Earth Bangladesh title on 5 October 2020. She was recognised for her efforts in promoting environmental sustainability by creating new products from discarded plastics and empowering women through entrepreneurship.
She is also the chairperson of the Miss Bangladesh Foundation.
Recently, she had posted on her official Facebook page claiming a foreign diplomat had been influencing the police to pick up people around her and threatening her not to reveal the "truth". The Facebook posts have since been deleted.
