Bangladesh film director charged after rape victim interrogation scene enrages police

Anonno Mamun and actor Shaheen Mridha could face up to seven years in prison

Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the two had been arrested ‘for making and acting in a film containing such offensive and obscene dialogue’

A Bangladeshi film director has been arrested after his portrayal of police failing to address violence against women sparked anger among officers.

Anonno Mamun was arrested on Friday alongside Shaheen Mridha – a popular actor who played the police officer who questions a rape victim in the film titled Nabab LLB.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police said the two had been arrested “for making and acting in a film containing such offensive and obscene dialogue”.

The police statement continued: “The officer was interrogating her using very offensive gestures and obscene language, which is the opposite of healthy entertainment and will create negative perceptions about policing among the public.”

Police said the pair were charged with “making a film with pornographic content” over a separate scene that shows the sexual assault. They potentially face up to seven years in prison.

Officers said they were also keen to arrest Orchita Sporshia, the 27-year-old actor who played the rape victim.

A senior police officer, who did not want to reveal his identity, told AFP news agency: “The plot is completely fabricated and unpleasant. It is based on total falsehood.”

Sexual crimes have soared in Bangladesh in recent years, with human rights group Ain-o-Salish Kendra saying nearly 889 incidents were reported between January and September – with more than a fifth of these being gang rapes. At least 41 victims died, the campaign group claims.

Campaigners say 732 rape cases were reported in 2018, with the figure almost doubling to 1,413 in 2019. There have been almost 1,000 cases reported so far this year.

But campaigners warn these figures do not reflect the true scale of the problem due to many women being too scared to report rape over fears the authorities will not hold their perpetrator to account.

Bangladesh ministers approved an increase in the maximum punishment in rape cases from life imprisonment to the death penalty back in October, in response to national protests against rising sexual violence.

Demonstrations erupted in northeast Bangladesh at the end of September after seven men gang-raped a woman while her husband was beaten .