Shomi Kaiser and Taposh sent to jail in attempted murder case

A court in Dhaka sentenced actress Shomi Kaiser and Gaan Bangla television channel chairman Kaushik Hossain Taposh to prison after three days of remand in connection with a case filed regarding the attempt to kill businessman Ishtiak Mahmud during the recent Student Anti-Discrimination Movement.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan Ishtiaq passed the order today (November 9) after the investigating officer (IO) of the case produced the duo in court with a request to send the duo to jail until the investigation is concluded.

Defense lawyers later objected to the bail request, which the prosecution opposed. After listening to the defenses of both parties, the court refused to release the defendants on bail and sent them to prison.

Earlier on November 6, police arrested Shomi from a house on Road 6 of sector 4 of the city’s Uttara area, while Taposh was also arrested in Uttara on November 4.

According to case documents, Ishtiak Mahmud, along with others, attended a rally of the Student Anti-Discrimination Movement on July 18. When the rally reached Azampur Nawab Habibullah High School in Uttara Sector-4, Awami League goons pounced on the protesters, firing indiscriminately.

A bullet hit Ishtiak in the abdomen and he was taken to Evercare Hospital for treatment.

Ishtiak Mahmud filed a case against 126 people, including former inspector general of police Chowdhury Abdullah Al Mamun, at the Uttara East Police Station on September 29.