Singer Jahid Antu granted bail in alleged molestation case

A Dhaka court on Thursday granted bail to singer Abu Jahid, also known as Jahid Antu, in a case filed over the alleged molestation of his former girlfriend, an Eden College student.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mahbub Alam granted bail to the accused until 19 April upon a bond of Tk500.

During the hearing, Advocate Nazrul Islam, General Secretary of the Dhaka Bar Association, moved the bail petition on behalf of Jahid, while Advocate Jasim Uddin opposed it for the complainant. After hearing both sides, the court allowed the bail.

Jahid Antu was arrested on Wednesday from the Gulshan Avenue area in the capital. Later that day, the court sent him to jail and set Thursday for the bail hearing.

According to the case statement, the accused and the complainant developed a romantic relationship after meeting during a guitar class at TSC. They later broke up and lost contact.

The complaint alleged that Jahid Antu invited the victim to his residence in Gulshan on the pretext of a product photoshoot. On 27 March around 6pm, he contacted her via WhatsApp and asked her to come over. The following evening, she went to his residence, where he allegedly molested and sexually assaulted her. When she resisted, Antu allegedly assaulted her physically, leaving injuries on her face, neck, and head. The victim later managed to leave the house and received primary treatment at Kurmitola General Hospital with the help of her relatives.

Following the incident, the victim filed a case at Gulshan Police Station under the Women and Children Repression Prevention Act.