Actress Pori Moni has spoken publicly at length about her 2021 arrest for the first time in four years, alleging that she was “completely unlawfully” detained and that the arrest was carried out to serve the interests of “a particular quarter.”

In a lengthy Facebook post published at 12:20am yesterday, the actor said the incident had caused irreparable damage to her personal, social and professional life. She also questioned whether the state could ever restore the dignity, peace of mind and years she says she lost as a result of the incident.

In the post, Pori Moni thanked former Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) intelligence chief Lt Col Khairul Islam for recently disclosing information during an online talk show. According to the actress, his remarks confirmed that she had been wrongfully arrested following a lengthy operation at her Banani residence on the instructions of the then RAB director general and former inspector general of police, Chowdhury Abdullah Al-Mamun.

“My life was deeply affected as an artiste, as a woman and as a human being,” she wrote. “That incident caused severe damage to every aspect of my personal, social and professional life.”

Pori Moni further alleged that she was later shown arrested in what she described as a “false and fabricated” case and was kept in prison for 28 days.

“Only Allah and I truly know how deeply that experience devastated my life,” she wrote.

The actor said she has continued to live as a victim of the incident ever since her arrest.

“The way I was humiliated and the way my dignity, morality and character were questioned will remain one of the most painful chapters in Bangladesh’s history,” she wrote.

Addressing the state directly, Pori Moni posed a series of questions.

“Can those days of my life ever be returned? Can I ever regain the dignity, peace of mind and life that I lost? Will the state take responsibility for the false, misleading and controversial perception that was created about me?” she wrote.

Despite her criticism, Pori Moni said she was not seeking revenge but justice.

“I do not want to humiliate or belittle anyone. I only hope that no innocent person has to endure such injustice in the future,” she wrote.

Towards the end of her statement, she expressed gratitude to her family, friends, colleagues, journalists and fans for standing by her during one of the most difficult periods of her life.

“I do not want to carry the wounds of the past forever. I want to move forward. I want to fly freely like a fairy. I want to spend the rest of my life surrounded by my work, my child, my family and the love of my audience,” she wrote.

The Dhaka Boat Club cases 

On June 8, 2021, Pori Moni filed a case accusing businessman Nasir Uddin Mahmood and five others of attempted rape and attempted murder following an incident at the Dhaka Boat Club in Savar.

After completing its investigation, police submitted a charge sheet against Nasir and two others on September 6, 2022. The Dhaka Women and Children Repression Prevention Tribunal-9 later framed charges against the three accused. According to Pori Moni’s lawyer, the case is currently at the witness testimony stage.

Separately, on July 18, 2022, Nasir filed a complaint case against Pori Moni, accusing her of assault and attempted murder in connection with the same incident. He alleged that the actress verbally abused him and threw a glass at him after he refused to serve her alcohol free of charge at the club.

The case also remains pending before the court.