Dhaka: Bangladesh's former military ruler
H M Ershad was on Thursday dragged to court by his ex-wife as she
sought Taka 60 crore in damages for alleged "torture".
Bidisha Siddique sued her ex-husband Ershad for Taka
60 crore in damages alleging that she was "tortured" by him
and had suffered from "false cases" filed by him, the private
bdnews online reported.
Judge Imrul Quayes ordered the former president to
appear before the court on April 20, it said.
The former wife of Ershad identified herself only as
Bidisha, no surname, in the case statement filed with the
Dhaka District and Sessions Court.
Bidisha alleged that Ershad, the chairman of the
Jatiya Party, tortured her both physically and mentally during
2005 to 2007, including harassing her with different false
cases that harmed her social, political and business
reputation, the report said.
She claimed damages for police torture that she
allegedly suffered in custody after she was detained in
connection with the cases filed against her by Ershad.
Bidisha has sought from Ershard Tk 10 crore for
physical and mental harm, Tk 22 crore for loss in her
profession and business and Tk 28 crore for defamation, the
report said.
The case papers say that in June 2005, five years
after they married, Ershad filed a false fraud case against
her.
According to the case papers, she was given electric
shocks, her nails were uprooted and she was beaten while being
hung from the ceiling fan while in police custody
Subsequently, she was released from all the cases.
PTI
First Published: Thursday, March 18, 2010, 23:11