Play store
Former Ekattor Television chief reporter Farzana Rupa, who is in jail in a murder case filed over the July uprising, has been admitted to Bangladesh Medical University (BMU) Hospital.
She was admitted on Sunday, said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Akhtar Hasib Dewan, deputy inspector general (health) of the Department of Prisons.
Speaking on Wednesday, he said Rupa was taken from jail and admitted to the hospital on the advice of specialist doctors.
A prison official said Rupa fell ill while at Munshiganj Jail and was subsequently transferred to the prison cell at BMU Hospital.
Jailer Masud Hasan Jewel, an official of the prisons department’s media office, told reporters that Rupa is suffering from fatty liver disease and gynaecological complications.
Rupa and her husband, Shakil Ahmed, then head of news at Ekattor Television, were arrested at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on August 21, 2024, while they were attempting to leave the country.
They were later shown arrested in a murder case filed with Uttara East Police Station. The following day, a court placed them on a four-day remand in the case.
They were subsequently shown arrested in the murder case of garment worker Rubel filed with Adabar Police Station and placed on a five-day remand.
On August 31, 2024, a court ordered that they be sent to jail.
On May 11, 2026, the High Court granted Rupa interim bail in six cases and Shakil in five cases. However, they could not be released as they were yet to secure bail in another case each.
On June 7, a chamber judge of the Appellate Division stayed the High Court’s bail order and directed the High Court to dispose of the rules issued on the bail pleas.
Ekattor Television relieved Rupa and Shakil of their respective positions on August 8, 2024.
