When Bangladeshi model and actress Meghna Alam was detained under the country’s draconian Special Powers Act for 30 days, the accusations were sweeping: compromising state security and exploiting a romantic relationship with a foreign diplomat—specifically, the outgoing Saudi ambassador—for personal gain.
Yet, as details continue to emerge, the official narrative seems increasingly shaky, perhaps even contrived.
At the core of the controversy lies an intimate relationship that reportedly escalated to the level of an engagement between Alam and the Saudi envoy. Upon discovering that he was already married—a fact allegedly concealed from her—Meghna not only broke off the engagement but also disclosed the matter to the diplomat’s wife. That much, it appears, is what we know so far. It is hardly the stuff of espionage or seduction for political leverage. It reads, instead, like a failed personal relationship.
Yet this very personal story has now been weaponised in the public domain, transformed into a political and social spectacle. Some commentators have rushed to label it a classic “honey trap”—without a shred of concrete evidence. If it were, indeed, an orchestrated trap designed to extort the ambassador, one would expect to find credible proof of blackmail or undue influence. None has surfaced to date.
In a rare moment of candour, Law Adviser Asif Nazrul has gone on record stating that her arrest process was “not proper.” Still, she remains in detention, her reputation dissected in public discourse while her legal status hangs in limbo. And so the question arises: is it justifiable to publicly shame a woman before the facts have been established in a court of law?
Three broader issues underpin this media and political circus:
Gendered judgment
When a woman exercises autonomy in her personal relationships—especially one who hails from the entertainment industry—society is quick to pass judgment. The media world, in particular, remains tainted in the eyes of many, its women subject to suspicion and moral policing.
Religious double standards
There remains a strong cultural undercurrent in Bangladesh that venerates the idea of male polygamy under religious tradition. Meghna’s decision to walk away upon learning about the ambassador’s existing marriage could be viewed by some as a challenge to that norm. Rather than being applauded for her integrity, she is vilified.
Diplomatic immunity and hypocrisy
Saudi Arabia holds an unassailable position in the minds of many in Bangladesh due to religious kinship. In such a climate, questioning the conduct of a Saudi diplomat is considered near-blasphemous. The assumption, by default, is that the diplomat must be innocent and the woman must be the villain.
But let us suppose, for argument’s sake, that there was a consensual physical relationship. Even if such a relationship constitutes adultery in Bangladesh—or is seen as immoral—it cannot and should not justify a one-sided social lynching. In Saudi Arabia, extramarital relations are punishable by severe penalties, including death. Will the ambassador, if found complicit, be investigated and tried by his own government? Or does accountability only apply to the woman?
It is worth asking whether those who now condemn Meghna have ever spoken up about the thousands of foreign domestic workers in Saudi Arabia who are subjected to systemic abuse and exploitation, often with no recourse to justice. Their stories remain buried, their trauma unseen.
What we are witnessing is not the uncovering of a scandal. It is the public shaming of a woman who said “no,” who walked away from a deceitful relationship and dared to preserve her dignity. For that, she now finds herself on trial—not in court, but in society’s relentless theatre of misogyny.
The Meghna Alam affair is not a tale of espionage. It is a sobering reflection of how a patriarchal society punishes women who defy its unspoken codes. Let there be a fair investigation, let justice run its course—but let us not criminalise a woman on the basis of suspicion, sexism, or diplomatic double standards.
How we treat women like Meghna Alam is not just about her. It is about who we are becoming as a society—and whether we are willing to dismantle the structures that keep us complicit in the quiet erosion of of justice.