A Dhaka court has granted bail to Shilpi Begum, a mother who had been imprisoned along with her one-and-a-half-month-old infant, in connection with an attempted murder case involving Dhaka University student Tahmid Mubin Ratul during the July uprising.
Shilpi Begum is affiliated with the political activities of Ward No 26 of the Dhaka Metropolitan North unit of the Jubo Mahila League.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman issued the order on Tuesday night following a petition seeking reconsideration of her bail application.
Earlier in the afternoon, she was sent to jail along with her one-and-a-half-month-old infant. The incident sparked widespread discussion and criticism on social media.
Shilpi Begum’s lawyer Farzana Yasmin Rakhi said the defence remains optimistic about her release from custody. “We are hopeful that she will be released from prison on Wednesday,” she said.
She was arrested on Monday evening from the Tejkunipara Railway Colony area and produced before the court on Tuesday, where the investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Sheikh Nazrul Islam of Tejgaon Police Station, sought her detention in custody.
During the hearing, she was brought before the court around 2:00 PM in the presence of her husband, sister, sister-in-law and other relatives.
Family members informed the court that Shilpi gave birth through a caesarean section at Ad-Din Hospital on the 4th of last month and is currently breastfeeding her infant. They also stated that she recently suffered a fractured left hand due to a fall in the bathroom, leaving her unable to properly hold or care for the baby.
Despite the defence’s plea for bail on humanitarian grounds, the court initially rejected the application and ordered her to be sent to jail. However, bail was later granted the same evening following a reconsideration petition filed by the defence.