Ex-minister Dipu Moni arrested

Former social welfare minister Dipu Moni was arrested on Monday from the capital’s Baridhara DOHS area.

A team from the Detective Branch (DB) of Gulshan Division under the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) apprehended her in the evening and took her to the DB office on Minto Road, as confirmed by Md Ziauddin Ahmed, DMP deputy commissioner (DB Gulshan Division).

He said Dipu Moni is wanted in connection with a case filed at the Chandpur police station and may be formally arrested for that case.

The case, filed on 15 August, names the former minister, her brother JR Wadud Tipu, and 510 known individuals, along with 1,000 to 1,200 unidentified persons, for allegedly attacking the residence of Sheikh Farid Ahmed Manik, the president of the Chandpur district unit BNP.

Manik, who was abroad for medical treatment at the time of the 18 July attack, claimed that the incident was politically motivated.

According to the case statement, armed individuals vandalised, looted, and set fire to Manik’s house on JM Sengupta Road in Chandpur town.

Dipu Moni, who also served as the foreign and education minister, has faced criticism.

Her tenure as education minister was particularly contentious due to the introduction of a new education curriculum widely criticised by educators, parents, and students alike.

Many parents expressed concern that the new curriculum made students overly dependent on the internet rather than traditional study methods.

Additionally, Dipu Moni was criticised for handling a movement by secondary school teachers, particularly those from MPO-enrolled institutions, where she was accused of undermining the teachers’ demands.

There were also allegations of corruption and abuse of power during her time in office.

A particularly notable scandal involved the excessive inflation of land prices by Tk359 crore in Chandpur’s Lakshmipur union for establishing a university.

The local administration reported that the price of the 62.5-acre land was significantly overvalued due to the influence of individuals closely tied to the former minister.

Dipu Moni is a joint general secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League and was a member of parliament for the Chandpur-3 constituency.