Nawshaba denied bail, admitted to DMCH

A Dhaka court yesterday denied a petition seeking bail for actress Quazi Nawshaba Ahmed in a case filed under the ICT Act for allegedly spreading rumours on social media about the student protests for safe roads.

Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Md Asaduzzaman Nur passed the order after her lawyer AH Imrul Qausar filed the petition, seeking bail for the actress upon completion of her 6-day remand in two phases.

Meanwhile, Nawshaba was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) in the afternoon after she fell ill.

The court was dissatisfied with Investigation Officer Rafiqul Islam, also an inspector of Cyber Crime Unit of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, for not producing Nawshaba during yesterday's proceedings, and instead allowing her to be taken to hospital without the court's directive.

The IO said he hurriedly took her to DMCH for treatment as she fell sick at the court premises. He said he informed general recording officer concerned about the matter.

Nawshaba was taken to DMCH around 3:30pm, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman told The Daily Star.

She was taken to the medicine ward where doctors examined her. They said she was suffering from dysentery and was sent to a diagnostic centre for a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scan.

Around 10:30pm, the actress was admitted to the neuro surgery ward at DMCH as doctors said the MRI report shows problems in her spinal cord. She had a surgery before, they added.

Nawshaba was detained from Uttara on August 4 for allegedly spreading rumours on social media about the student movement. Police said she did so to create anarchy and confuse people.

The next day she was placed on a four-day remand after police produced her before the court with a seven-day remand prayer. On August 10, she was again granted a fresh two-day remand for quizzing.