Jessia takes the crown of Miss World Bangladesh as Avril dethroned

Jessia Islam has been crowned Miss World Bangladesh, after it was stripped of controversial winner Jannatul Nayeem Avril.

Photo: abdul mannan Photo: abdul mannan

Jessia, Avril and Heme pose for photos after the final announcement. Jessia, Avril and Heme pose for photos after the final announcement.

Avril says she will hush critics with China Miss World contest win

Miss World Bangladesh result manipulated during announcement, judge alleges

The decision to dethrone Avril was announced by the contest's judges and organisers at Dhaka's Hotel Westin on Wednesday.

Fashion designer Bibi Rassell, one of the contest's six judges, placed the feathered crown on Jessia, the second runner-up, at the end of the media briefing.

She is set to represent Bangladesh at Miss World 2017 in China in November. The first runner-up Jannatul Sumaiya Heme did not attend the ceremony.

The title first went to 27-year-old Avril, a contestant from Chittagong, who was announced the winner of Miss World Bangladesh 2017 in the competition's final round on Friday.

But the judges soon told journalists that Avril was not among the top finalists they picked. The media soon found that she had also been married.

Organisers in Bangladesh then contacted the Miss World authorities over mail.

The officials behind the world's longest running beauty pageant said the fact that Avril was a divorced woman did not necessarily disqualify her from competing.

But they found offence in Avril's attempts to conceal the truth of her marriage, and so discouraged any further participation.

Organisers in Bangladesh decided to dethrone Avril based on this response.

"Everyone makes mistakes. I hope you'll be forgiving in considering this," said Rassell. 

Antar Showbiz and Omicon Entertainment had organised the contest to pick Bangladesh's representative for the Miss World pageant.