Actress Nusraat Faria granted bail in attempted murder case

A day after she was sent to jail in an attempted murder case filed over an incident during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement protests, Dhallywood actress Nusraat Faria has been granted bail.

Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mostafizur Rahman issued the bail order based on a petition from Nusraat’s lawyer Mohammad Iftekhar Hossain on Tuesday.

“We had submitted a special put-up requesting Nusraat Faria’s bail,” he said.

“After the hearing, the court granted bail until the police report in the case was submitted and set a Tk 5,000 bond. We will now file a bail application. We hope that she will be released from jail today.”

The arrest of Nusraat, who portrayed the role of ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman biopic “Mujib: The Making of a Nation”, sparked widespread discussion and criticism online. Even advisors in the interim government weighed in on the debate.

The actress had been detained by Immigration Police at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on her way to Thailand. She was then placed under arrest in the case.

Sub-Inspector Billal Bhuiyan of Vatara Police Station, the investigating officer in the case, brought Nusraat to court and petitioned to detain her in jail custody. Nusraat’s lawyers petitioned for her bail. Dhaka Metropolitan Public Prosecutor Omar Faruq Faruqi stood for the state and opposed the bail.

After the bail hearing, the court ordered a report to be submitted on whether Nusraat had been abroad during the July Uprising and whether she had expressed her support for the movement on Facebook.

The court then ordered her to be taken into jail custody and said a bail hearing would be held on May 22 after the report was submitted.

An individual named Enamul Haque filed the case against ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina and 282 others over an incident in front of Vatara Police Station during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement protests. The court approved the case for investigation.

According to the case details, during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement protests on Jul 19 last year, protesters gathered in front of Vatara Police Station. There was gunfire during the demonstration and Enamul was shot in the leg. He later received treatment at a hospital.

Nusraat’s career began as a radio jockey and presenter. She made her acting debut in the 2015 Bangladesh-India joint production film “Aashiqui: True Love”.

Since then, Nusraat has acted in several films including “Hero 420”, “Badsha - The Don”, “Boss 2: Back to Rule”, and “Dhat Teri Ki”.

Nusraat is also a singer. She made her debut with a song titled “Pataka” in 2018. She has since released several other songs, including “Habibi” and “Ami Chai Thakte”, which have been released on various social media platforms, including YouTube.

Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki said that Nusraat’s arrest may have been triggered by “nervous overreaction” following the public backlash over former president Abdul Hamid’s recent departure from the country.

In a post on Facebook on Monday, Farooki said: "Following the backlash over the former president Abdul Hamid’s foreign trip, there may have been an overreaction driven by nervousness. A similar incident happened a few days ago involving Barrister Andaleeve Rahman Partho’s wife."

"These incidents are by no means justifiable. I believe Faria will get legal remedy."

Describing Nusraat's arrest as “embarrassing”, Farooki said: "The government's job is to prosecute the actual transgressors during the July Uprising. Our stated policy has been clear -- no one will be arrested in broad, indiscriminate cases unless preliminary investigation establishes involvement. That policy had been followed."

"This case against Faria has been around for some time. Until now, I wasn’t aware of any government move to arrest her before the investigation concluded."

Farooki, who transitioned from the world of showbiz to serving in the interim government as an advisor, added: "We must handle these broad-based cases with greater sensitivity. We should remember our core duty is to bring the real perpetrators of the incidents during the July movement to justice."

Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury also spoke on the case, saying that there may have been an uproar if Nusraat had been released from jail without an investigation.

Addressing the issue, Jahangir said: “We have stated many times that innocent people should not be harassed. We said that only the perpetrators should be brought to justice and punished – that no innocent person should suffer.”

Asked why Nusraat had been arrested when she was going abroad for medical treatment, he said: “The investigation against her has not been completed. We cannot make a statement before the investigation is complete. If we let her go in this situation, you will ask why we released her.”