Nabab LBB Movie Poster -

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A director from Bangladesh has been arrested for showing police brutally questioning a rape victim in a scene from his latest film.

After the streaming release of the first part of

Nabab LLB

, a fictional film about rape and the way victims are treated, the scene went viral on social media, sparking a flurry of criticism over the attitude of the police.

In response, director Anonno Mamun and actor playing the police officer in the film, Shaheen Mridha, were both arrested on Friday.

The actress also wanted

“The policeman is interrogating this woman with inappropriate gestures and obscene language that are the opposite of what should be healthy entertainment, and will create a negative perception of the police among the public,” Dhaka Police said on its information site.

The two men were therefore arrested for "having directed and acted in a film containing inappropriate and obscene dialogues," added the statement published on the site.

They were presented to court on Friday, where they were accused of making "a film with pornographic content" in reference to the rape scene, police added.

Police said they were also seeking to arrest Orchita Sporshia, the actress playing the victim.

"The story is unpleasant"

This film “insults the entire police force,” a police official told AFP on condition of anonymity.

“The story is completely fabricated and unpleasant, and based on things that are totally wrong,” he added.

If convicted, the two men face up to seven years in prison.

Films in Bangladesh are generally censored before their release, but the rules are still unclear for streaming platforms.

Denunciation of censorship

The arrests have been criticized by human rights activists, saying the film very accurately shows the difficulties rape victims face in facing justice.

"These arrests are nothing new, and are just another attack on freedom of artistic expression," one of these defenders, Rezaur Rahman Lenin, told AFP.

Women's defense associations point out that violence against women is increasing in Bangladesh.

According to the human rights association Ain-o-Salish Kendra (ASK), between April and August this year, more than 630 rapes were reported and 29 women were killed in assaults.

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  • Violence against women

  • Police violence

  • Rape

  • Bangladesh

  • Censorship

  • Discrimination

  • Culture

  • Cinema