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Woman Smoking, by lil artsy via Pexels, Aug 21, 2019
Two young women were attacked for smoking in Lalmatia.
The incident occurred on March 1st in Lamatia when two young women who were sitting near a tea stall were asked to move by a 60-year-old man. When the women did not comply, the man became irate and ordered the tea stall owner to remove the chairs. He allegedly shouted obscenities at the young women, and one of them threw tea at him (Lohani, 2025). Eyewitnesses say that the man grabbed one of the girls’ hair and began to hit her, and some men nearby joined in (Lohani, 2025). A large group of men surrounded the young women, and when several people tried to intervene in the situation, they were also attacked.
The man involved in the assault claims that the women were smoking marijuana, however, they have denied this claim, saying that they were only smoking cigarettes. The attack ended when police became involved. The two women were taken into custody at the Mohammadpur Police Station after the altercation for their safety (The Daily Star, 2025). The two women were later released to their families after the matter was resolved. Retired Home Affairs Advisor Lt. General (R.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has urged all to practise restraint during Ramadan and avoid smoking in public places (Lohani, 2025). Further adding that smoking in public is prohibited for both men and women.
Sources and further reading:
Lohani, N. (2025). Assaulted for smoking or for smoking as a woman? Retrieved on March 3rd, 2025 from https://www.tbsnews.net/features/panorama/assaulted-smoking-or-smoking-woman-1083546.
The Daily Star. (2025). Two women taken to custody for “smoking in public.” Retrieved on March 3rd, 2025 from https://www.thedailystar.net/news/bangladesh/crime-justice/news/two-women-taken-custody-smoking-public-3837371.
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