As a one-and-a-half-month-old baby was taken from her mother’s arms in the courtroom this afternoon, the infant’s cries mingled with the mother’s sobs -- leaving those present visibly shaken.

The mother, Shilpi Begum, 37, a ward-level Jubo Mohila League leader, broke down in tears, still wearing a post-C-section support belt, a stark reminder of how recently she had given birth to Kaifa Islam Simran.

Police produced her before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court in Dhaka around 2:00pm in connection with an explosives case, seeking her detention in jail, according to court records.

Relatives gathered outside, while her lawyer, Farzana Yeasmin Rakhi, pleaded for bail, citing Shilpi’s recent childbirth and the needs of her infant.

Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Awlad Hossain Muhammad Zonaid rejected the petition and ordered her into jail custody, said a court staffer.

Over five hours later, Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Mostafizur Rahman granted bail, but by then Shilpi had already been taken to Kashimpur Central Women’s Jail.

Earlier in the afternoon, Magistrate Awlad took more than half an hour to pass his order. During that time, Shilpi was seen feeding her child on a bench outside the courtroom.

Around 3:15pm, a police officer approached to take her into the lockup. She broke down in tears, prompting arguments between lawyers, those accompanying her and the officer, witnesses said.

On the court premises, Shilpi said she still felt pain from her C-section incision. “I cannot properly feed the baby. My baby will die. I have a problem with my hand; I cannot take care of the child. I will not take her with me,” she said.

Descending the stairs from the fourth floor with the baby in her arms, she cried, “My politics has led to this condition. I am being sent to jail with my baby due to political reasons.”

Her lawyer Farzana said the baby was born at Ad-din Hospital via C-section on March 4.

Farzana told The Daily Star that the new mother requires regular medical check-ups and follow-up care. There is also the issue of caring for the infant.

"We applied to the court seeking bail under any conditions on humanitarian grounds, but the honourable court did not initially grant it. This has saddened us. Another court granted bail after several hours," she said.

Shilpi was arrested from her residence on Railway Colony Station Road in Dhaka’s Tejgaon on Monday around 7:15pm, as she is a named accused in the case, according to the police forwarding report.

The case statement said Tahmid Mubin Ratul, a second-year student of the Institute of Modern Languages at Dhaka University and an activist of the anti-discrimination student movement, was shot while protesting in Chankharpul on July 16, 2024. His classmates took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Later, on July 23, Shilpi allegedly instructed the accused, along with 120-130 unidentified individuals to attack Ratul’s residence with sharp weapons, pistols, and bombs, complainant Shahnur Khanam, Tahmid’s mother, alleged.

Furniture and electronics were vandalised, causing damage worth Tk 5 lakh, while items worth Tk 3 lakh were looted. A bomb was reportedly detonated on the road in front of the house.

Shilpi and others also beat Tahmid’s father, Sohel Rana, with intent to kill, Shahnur said.

She filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station under the Explosive Substances Act and the Penal Code on January 25 last year.