A Pabna court has granted bail to Nishi Rahman, who was arrested in a case over the killing of eight newborn puppies in Pabna’s Ishwardi.
The bail order was issued on Sunday afternoon by Judge Tariqul Islam of Pabna Amli Court-2.
Confirming the development, state-appointed assisting lawyer Advocate Moshfeka Jahan Konika said, “Today was the scheduled hearing for her bail. After the hearing, the judge approved the petition. As the offence is bailable and considering that she is a woman, the court granted her bail. The next date of appearance is set for 11 January next year.”
She added that the investigation is still ongoing.
“Once the investigation report is submitted, if we find discrepancies or negligence, we will file objections and pursue necessary legal steps. Our objective is to ensure a proper investigation and justice,” Advocate Konika said.
Engineer Harun-or-Rashid, local representative of the People for Animal Welfare Foundation (PAW), said the organisation has appointed a lawyer to assist the state.
“Our protest is not against any individual but against cruelty and violence. If justice is delivered in this case, it will set an example and make others cautious,” he noted.
For years, a dog named Tom lived on the premises of the Ishwardi upazila nirbahi officer’s residence and gave birth to eight puppies.
On 1 December, workers noticed the distressed mother searching frantically for her missing newborns.
Later, they learned that the puppies had allegedly been placed alive inside a sack and dumped into the upazila pond on 30 November by Nishi Rahman, wife of Hasanur Rahman Noyon, an official of the Small Farmers Development Foundation under the Rural Development and Cooperative Division.
The bodies of the puppies were later recovered from the pond.
Following the incident, Ishwardi Upazila Livestock Officer Aklima Khatun filed a case on 2 December naming Nishi Rahman as the accused.
She was arrested from a rented house the same night and produced before the court the next day, where her bail petition was initially denied.
