Dipu Moni treated at Dhaka hospital after falling ill, returned to jail

Prison authorities say an allergy flared up, causing facial swelling, before doctors discharged her back to jail

Former minister Dipu Moni has been taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital after falling ill in prison before being returned to Munshiganj District Jail following treatment.

Jannat Ul Farhad, assistant inspector general of the Department of Prisons, told bdnews24.com on Monday that Dipu Moni, who is being held at Munshiganj District Jail, suddenly fell ill around midnight on Sunday after an allergy she had worsened, causing her face to swell.

She was then rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors treated the former education and foreign minister before sending her back to jail.

"Following treatment and the attending physician's advice, she was returned to Munshiganj District Jail at around 12:30pm on Monday," the prison official said.

Farhad said the former minister also suffers from kidney, thyroid and allergy-related health problems.

A joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League and former MP for Chandpur-3, Dipu Moni was the first woman to head Bangladesh's foreign affairs and education ministries.

Since the fall of the Awami League government in Aug 2024, she has been named in more than 50 cases across the country, including on allegations of murder, crimes against humanity, corruption and incitement to violence.

She has been in custody since Aug 19, 2024. Although she has secured bail in several cases, she remains behind bars.