Bangladesh's 1st female Speaker arrested
What's the story
Shirin Sharmin Chaudhury, who served as the first female speaker of the Bangladesh Jatiya Sangsad (House of the Nation), was arrested by the Detective Branch (DB) of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Tuesday. The Rangpur-6MP was detained from her residence in Dhanmondi around 4:30am. DB Additional Commissioner Md Shafiqul Islam confirmed that her arrest is linked to a case filed over the Anti-discrimination Student Movement.
Political career
Chaudhury's historic election as Speaker
Chaudhury made history on April 30, 2013, when she became the first woman to preside over Bangladesh's legislature. She first entered parliament in 2009 through a reserved seat for women and later became the state minister for women and children's affairs before being elected speaker. She stepped down on September 2, 2024, after the Sheikh Hasina government fell on August 5. Although constitutional laws require the speaker to continue until a replacement takes oath, Shirin chose to resign before that.
Political silence
Chaudhury was absent during the interim government's formation
After the July Uprising that ousted the Awami League government, most of its top leaders went into hiding. Chaudhury was also absent from public view during this period and skipped the oath-taking ceremony of the interim government on August 8, 2024. President Mohammed Shahabuddin dissolved parliament a day after Hasina fled Bangladesh.