DHAKA, Bangladesh — A Dhaka court has approved the arrests of journalist couple Shakil Ahmed and Farzana Rupa in connection with two murder cases stemming from last year’s anti-discrimination protests in Jatrabari.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Minhazur Rahman authorized their arrests following a hearing on a petition filed by the investigating officer on Wednesday. Former Ekattor TV managing director Mozammel Haque Babu has also been officially arrested in one of the cases.
Shakil and Rupa, both formerly with Ekattor Television, were brought into the courtroom around 9:50 a.m. after arriving from the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court lockup. The court approved recording them as arrested in the murders of Imran Hasan, a protester from Kutubkhali, and Syed Muntasir Rahman, a madrasa student from Dania—both under the Jatrabari Police Station.
Mozammel Babu has been shown arrested in the case related to Imran’s death.
According to police records, Imran Hasan was shot during a protest in North Kutubkhali’s Bou Bazar area on August 5, 2024, and died while receiving treatment. His mother, Kohinur Akter, filed a murder case on September 6, naming 297 individuals, including former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
In the second incident, Syed Muntasir Rahman participated in a protest in Dania on the same day and was also reportedly shot. He died in hospital later. His father, Syed Gaziur Rahman, filed a separate murder case on September 11, naming 157 individuals, including the former PM.
Shakil and Rupa were originally arrested on August 21, 2024, at Shahjalal International Airport, allegedly while attempting to flee the country following the fall of the Awami League government. Since then, they have been shown arrested in multiple cases and remanded several times. Mozammel Babu was arrested later on September 17, 2024, at the Dobaura border in Mymensingh.
The investigation into the high-profile protest-related deaths is ongoing.
