Court Sends Two Awami League Leaders to Jail in Anti-Terrorism Case

A court in Panchagarh, Bangladesh, has ordered the imprisonment of two prominent local leaders of the ruling Awami League, Major (retd) Kazi Mousumi and Nilufa Yasmin. The decision came after the Acting District and Sessions Judge Mahbub Ali Muad rejected their bail petitions in a case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Mousumi, wife of former Panchagarh-1 lawmaker Naimuzzaman Bhuiyan Mukta and a central committee member of Jubo Mohila League, along with Yasmin, president of the Panchagarh district Jubo Mohila League and former female vice-chairman of Panchagarh Sadar Upazila Parishad, had previously secured six weeks of ad-interim bail from the High Court. Upon the expiration of this bail, they surrendered to the court to seek fresh bail, which was subsequently denied.

The case was filed following an Awami League founding anniversary gathering held on June 23 last year at the former MP's farmhouse. According to the First Information Report (FIR), approximately 120 people attended the event, led by Mousumi. Allegations in the FIR include cake cutting, slogan chanting, and the distribution of cash and food to locals. A video of the event was reportedly posted on a Facebook page named "Awami League News" the following day.

Sub-Inspector Manik Mia of Panchagarh Sadar Police Station initiated the case on July 20, 2025, naming 47 individuals, including Mousumi and Yasmin, and listing around 120 other unidentified accused. The court's decision to send them to jail signifies a serious escalation in the legal proceedings against the party members.

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The same court also ordered Nilufa Yasmin, president of Panchagarh district Jubo Mohila League and former female vice-chairman of Panchagarh Sadar Upazila Parishad, to jail in the same case rejecting her petition.