DE News Desk :
A Dhaka court has placed renowned folk singer and former Member of Parliament Momtaz Begum on a four-day remand in connection with the murder of a hawker during last year’s July Uprising in the capital’s Mirpur area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Jewel Rana issued the remand order on Tuesday after hearing a petition submitted by police.
The investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Monirul Islam of Mirpur Model Police Station, had sought a seven-day remand for further interrogation.
Momtaj, who served three terms as the MP for Manikganj-2 under the Awami League banner, was detained by Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) from the Dhanmondi area on Monday night.
She was later formally arrested in the murder case linked to the death of hawker Md Sagar.
According to the case statement, Sagar was among the participants in the protest at Mirpur-10 roundabout on July 19, 2024.
The complaint alleges that a group of individuals opened fire on demonstrators around 4:30 pm.
Sagar was shot in the chest and later found dead at a private hospital by his mother, Beauty Akhtar, early the next morning.
Beauty filed the case with Mirpur Model Police Station on November 17, naming former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Momtaz Begum (listed as suspect No. 49), and 242 others as accused. An additional 250 to 400 unidentified individuals were also implicated in the case.
Momtaz’s name has since appeared in multiple cases tied to the violent incidents that occurred during the mass protests following the fall of the Awami League government.
The singer-turned-politician lost her seat in the 12th parliamentary election to an independent candidate from within the Awami League.
Authorities have yet to detail the specific allegations against Momtaz in this particular case.
Meanwhile, the Bangladesh Financial Intelligence Unit (BFIU) of Bangladesh Bank has frozen her bank accounts amid the ongoing investigation.
The legal developments have sparked widespread attention, marking a dramatic turn in the public life of the popular performer and former lawmaker.