Referring to actress Nusraat Faria’s arrest, National Citizen Party (NCP) Hasnat Abdullah has strongly criticised the interim government for resorting to attention-diverting tactics used by the ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s government.
“A murderer directly involved in the killing was allowed to safely leave the country, and [former speaker of parliament] Shirin Sharmin’s passport was made at her home under state supervision.
“Although the second [international crimes] tribunal was supposed to be formed in January, even by May it hasn’t happened,” Hasnat wrote in a post on his verified Facebook profile this afternoon (19 May).
“Interim, what happened to the list of 626 people? After safely getting those 626 people out, now you’re arresting Nusraat Faria in a murder case to make it look like you’re delivering justice?” he wrote in a scathing criticism of the interim government.
Hasnat was referring to the 626 individuals, including many political figures and members of law enforcement agencies, who were fearing for their lives and were given refuge at cantonments on 5 August last year as the Awami League government fell in a mass uprising.
“This is not justice — this is Hasina-style attention diversion tactics,” wrote Hasnat, the chief organiser (south) of NCP, referring to Faria’s arrest.
His remarks came a day after Faria was detained at Dhaka’s Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in connection with an attempt to murder case filed at Bhatara Police Station.
The case, in which Nusraat Faria is accused among others, relates to an attempted murder incident in the capital’s Bhatara area during the anti-discrimination movement of 2024.
A Dhaka Court today ordered Faria to be sent to jail and set 22 May for a hearing on her bail plea.
Amid widespread criticism, Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki today said Faria’s arrest likely happened due to the nervousness of authorities concerned after many expressed anger over the foreign travel of former president Abdul Hamid.
He also described Faria’s arrest as “an embarrassing incident” and called for more sensitivity in handling such cases.
