Actress Shomi Kaiser arrested in new case, chats with Jakob in the dock

A court has ordered the arrest of Shomi Kaiser, actress and former president of the e-Commerce Association of Bangladesh (e-CAB), in a fresh case involving the alleged attempted murder of an Azampur College student in Uttara during the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate GM Farhan issued the order on Wednesday after hearing the petition of the case investigation officer.

Shomi was brought to court amid tight security before the hearing. Several former ministers and MPs were also presented for hearings as petitions against them were scheduled on the same day.

Shomi was seen chatting with former deputy minister and Bhola-4 MP Abdullah Al Islam Jakob while standing in the dock. Later, the judge issued an order granting the arrest of the actress in the case and she was taken to jail.

According to the case documents, Tongi Government College first year student Zubair Hasan Yusuf, 20, took part in a protest march on Aug 4, 2024, the day before the fall of the Awami League government.

The procession reached Uttara's Azampur a little before 1pm that day, where Yusuf was hit by a bullet fired by the suspects. He was later taken to the hospital. On Aug 22, Yusuf filed a case with the Uttara East Police Station naming 11 suspects and 150 to 200 unidentified suspects. Shomi is a suspect in the case.

After the change in government, several cases were filed against prominent cultural figures associated with the previous Awami League regime. Police arrested Shomi on Nov 6, from Uttara.

She has been in jail since the arrest.

Shomi, the daughter of martyred intellectual Shahidullah Kaiser and former MP Panna Kaiser, was a popular actress in the 1990s and later moved into entertainment production.

She became involved in Awami League politics and served for many years as the president of the e-CAB and as an FBCCI director.

After the fall of the Sheikh Hasina-led Awami League government on Aug 5, Shomi resigned from her role at e-CAB on Aug 14.

Earlier in 2024, she had sought the party’s ticket to run for the Feni-3 constituency in the 12th national election, but did not receive it.