Ex-MP Momtaz shown arrested in Mirpur attempted murder case
The application added that police may later seek remand for further questioning.
A Dhaka court today (24 June) showed former lawmaker and folk singer Momtaz Begum arrested in an attempted murder case filed over the shooting of a man during the July Uprising in the capital's Mirpur area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam passed the order after police sought to show her arrested in the case, said Public Prosecutor Omar Faruk Faruqi.
Earlier, investigating officer Sub-Inspector Md Azizul Haque of Mirpur Model Police Station produced Momtaz in court and filed the application.
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In the plea, the officer said evidence linked the accused to the incident and that showing her arrested in the case was necessary for the investigation.
The application added that police may later seek remand for further questioning.
Faruqi supported the application, telling the court that the accused was linked to the incident and had allegedly instigated the attempted killing.
Momtaz did not respond to questions from journalists when she was brought to the court from the lock-up.
Opposing the application, the defence argued that multiple cases had been filed against Momtaz over incidents allegedly occurring at the same time, questioning how she could have been present in several places at once.
The lawyer maintained that she was innocent and had no involvement in the case.
Following the hearing, the court granted the prosecution's plea and ordered that Momtaz be shown arrested in the case.
According to the case statement, the plaintiff and the victim, Md Mukhtar Hossain, joined a protest near the Mirpur Swimming Pool and Fire Service Road on 4 August 2024 during the uprising.
The complaint alleges that police and then-ruling Awami League's activists attacked demonstrators and opened fire to suppress the protest.
Mukhtar was injured by rubber bullets and received treatment at Kurmitola General Hospital before filing an attempted murder case over the incident.
Momtaz has now been shown arrested as an accused in the case.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police detectives arrested Momtaz at a residence in Dhanmondi on 12 May last year.
A Dhaka court later granted a four-day remand, and she has remained in custody since.
A folk singer-turned-politician, Momtaz became a member of parliament for a reserved women's seat on an Awami League nomination in 2009.
She later won the Manikganj-2 constituency in the 2014 and 2018 general elections but lost to an independent candidate in the January 2024 election.
