Sharmin Shila, widely known on social media as "Cream Apa", has been sent to jail over allegations of making videos by abusing her children to gain more views online.
On Friday, Dhaka Senior Judicial Magistrate Zinat Jahan issued the order, reports Bangla Tribune.
Earlier, Sub-Inspector Omar Faruk of Ashulia police station, the investigating officer in the case, presented her before the court and requested that she be kept in custody.
Lawyers submitted a bail petition on behalf of Sharmin Shila, but the court rejected the plea and ordered her to be sent to jail.
Earlier, on Wednesday, Savar Upazila’s Women Affairs Officer Kazi Israt Jaman filed the case against Sharmin Shila at Ashulia police station. She was arrested shortly after.
According to the case statement, Sharmin Shila is a beautician and is known on social media by the name “Cream Apa”. She primarily works with makeup and sells various homemade creams.
She has one son and one daughter. Shila often posts videos featuring her children on Facebook and other platforms. On March 3, around 4pm, a video posted from her Facebook account went viral.
The video showed Sharmin forcefully feeding her daughter. As the girl refused to eat, Shila was seen pressing her daughter's mouth with one hand while pushing a cake-like food item into her mouth with the other. The video sparked outrage across the country.
The complaint also said that instead of behaving in a maternal manner, Sharmin treated her children with cruelty, which caused both physical and mental harm. Such actions are a clear violation of the Children Act.
A child rights organization named “Ekai Eksho” submitted a memorandum to the Dhaka deputy commissioner demanding action against Sharmin last Sunday. The district administration assured that steps would be taken within three days.
Following the public backlash, Sharmin Shila appeared on a Facebook Live and apologized to the nation, pledging not to post such videos in the future.
However, law enforcement agencies have said that despite the apology, legal action has been taken against her for child abuse.
