A late-night arrest of a woman along with her six-month-old twin babies by Nandail Model Police Station has sparked outrage after the station posted her photo on its official Facebook page, drawing severe criticism from locals and social media users.
The incident occurred on 9 July at Nij Banail village under Chandipasha Union, about 12 kilometres from Nandail town. The woman, accused in a land dispute case, was arrested by Sub-Inspector Asad and taken to the police station with her children. The next day, their photo was uploaded on the station’s Facebook page, a move the Officer-in-Charge (OC) later admitted was a “mistake.”
Speaking to reporters on Saturday, the woman said she was not even present during the clash that triggered the case. “Police arrested me and took me to the station with my two innocent babies, then posted our photo on Facebook. Later, the plaintiff’s side also shared it to defame me. My reputation is ruined. I feel ashamed to face relatives or neighbours,” she said.
The dispute began when Ziaur Rahman, a villager, filed a case against his nephew and the woman following a land clash. The woman, who was initially granted bail, failed to appear in court for the second hearing because her children were ill, prompting an arrest warrant. On 9 July, police picked her up late at night despite her request to wait until morning.
Her husband claimed the opposing party was continuously harassing them with false cases and demanded justice for the humiliation his wife endured.
Legal experts have also condemned the incident. Advocate Habibur Rahman Fakir of Mymensingh Judge Court said, “There is no provision for arresting someone late at night in such cases. It was also inappropriate for the police to post photos of a woman with children after an arrest.”
The OC of Nandail Model Police Station, Anwar Hossain, admitted the wrongdoing, saying, “It was a misstep on our part. From now on, we will be more cautious about posting photos of arrested individuals.”
ASP Debashish Karmakar of Gauripur Circle added, “We had already instructed that photos of women and children must be blurred before posting. Since this directive was not followed, action will be taken against the person responsible for posting the photo.”
The viral photo has since been removed from the police station’s page, but the controversy continues to stir public anger, with rights activists calling for stricter accountability measures against law enforcement’s misuse of social media.