HC orders handing over of teen ‘confined by parents’ to Canadian govt

GBNews24 Desk//

The High Court on Sunday ordered the authorities concerned to hand over the 19-year-old Canadian girl, who was allegedly confined to a house by her parents for over 10 months in the city’s Mugda area, to the representatives of the Canadian government.

The HC bench of Justice Farah Mahbub and Justice SM Moniruzzaman passed the order following a writ petition.

High Court Registrar Md Golam Rabbani was asked to take the girl to the Canadian High Commission today (Sunday).

Barrister Sara Hossain appeared for the petitioner, while Advocate Md Ajiullah for the girl’s parents.

According to the writ, the girl was born in Canada. She is a Canadian citizen by birth and studies at a university there. Her parents are also Canadian citizens who came to visit Bangladesh about 10 months ago along with their daughter. When the young girl tried to return to Canada, they disagreed.

The girl’s parents and grandmother confined her to their home after taking away her cell phone set, reads the writ.

At one point, the young woman informed the Canadian government and the Canadian High Commission in Dhaka about her ‘house arrest’ using land phone. She also expressed her wish to return to Canada.

Later on February 9, a general diary was logged by the Canadian High Commission at Mugda police station in the capital.

Human rights organisations Bangladesh Legal Aid Services (BLAST) and Ain O Salish Kendra also filed a writ petition with the High Court on behalf of the High Commission.

The Inspector General (IG) of Police, Dhaka Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Officer-in-charge (OC) of Mugda Police Station and the parents of the girl were made respondents in the writ.