A Dhaka court has issued an arrest warrant for renowned singer and actress Meher Afroz Shaon in a case filed by her stepmother, Nishi Islam, alleging physical abuse and misconduct.
The development became public on 23 April, although the arrest warrant was issued a day earlier by the First Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka.
The case accuses Shaon of assaulting her father, engineer Mohammad Ali, and her stepmother, Nishi Islam. Among the twelve accused are former Detective Branch chief Mohammad Harun-or-Rashid and other officials.
On Tuesday, two police officers from Badda Police Station admitted in court that they had detained and assaulted Nishi Islam on orders from the then Officer-in-Charge of the station. However, Shaon, Harun and the other accused failed to appear before the court, prompting the issuance of the arrest warrants.
Expressing satisfaction over the court’s directive, complainant Nishi Islam remarked, “We want justice. Shaon has exercised significant influence in this case and physically assaulted us.”
The case stems from events dating back to early last year when Shaon's father placed a matrimonial advertisement through a marriage agency. This led to his acquaintance and subsequent marriage to Nishi. Upon learning of the marriage, Shaon allegedly subjected her father to both physical and psychological abuse, and used her political ties with the ruling Awami League to have Nishi imprisoned for six months.
Additional allegations claim that Shaon had her father falsely declared mentally unstable and confined him in a psychiatric facility for several months. According to Nishi Islam, other siblings of Shaon were also involved in these incidents.
