Hero Alom granted bail hours after arrest

Content creator Ashraful Alom, better known as Hero Alom, has been granted bail just hours after his arrest in a case filed by his former wife, accusing him of attempted murder and assault.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Rakibul Hasan granted his bail on Saturday, November 15. Following completion of court procedures, he was released from the custody cell of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court at 6:35pm.

Police arrested Hero Alom from his office in Hatirjheel’s Ulan area earlier on Saturday afternoon. He was later produced before the court with a plea to keep him in jail.

During the hearing, Hero Alom’s lawyer Shanta Sakshina sought bail, saying he had been granted permanent bail until submission of the police report on July 1. She said he missed four scheduled court dates as he could not contact his lawyer, causing his bail to be cancelled. She stated that such an absence would not happen again.

She argued that there is no instance of Hero Alom assaulting or defaming anyone. “Five grounds are required for cancelling bail. None applies here. We seek unconditional bail with an apology.”

Opposing the bail plea, plaintiff’s lawyer Ziaur Rahman Rubel said Hero Alom did not appear in court on four consecutive dates, which amounted to contempt of court. “He did not attend hearings but enjoyed life as if nothing happened. He is corrupting society. If granted bail, he will flee again.”

Riya Moni, the plaintiff, was present in court. The court asked to hear her statement. She said, “He called the media and divorced me publicly. He labelled me a bad woman. How did he live with me for four years then?” Crying, she said, “I also have a right to live. He treated me cruelly and is bullying me online.”

After hearing both sides, the court reserved its order and later granted Hero Alom bail on a 200-taka bond.