Mountaineer Bithi is attacked

Bangladeshi mountaineer Shayla Bithi was attacked by unidentified assailants at around 2pm on Saturday (September 21) while crossing the footbridge on Dhanmondi Road 27 in the capital.

After the attack, Bithi went to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station to report the incident.

Bithi's husband Taimur Faruk Tusher, also a journalist, said on Facebook that Bithi was attacked from behind as she was crossing the footbridge. The attackers grabbed her by her hair and beat her. Her lips were swollen and she suffered multiple injuries all over her body.

Tusher added: “The police must investigate to find out who is behind this attack and what their motive is. Since the attack took place in broad daylight, the video footage should help identify the perpetrators.”

Officer-in-charge Mozammel Haque of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar police station confirmed that Shayla Bithi and her two colleagues had filed a complaint and assured that appropriate legal action would be taken.

Shayla Bithi, an experienced mountaineer, has undertaken eight trekking and training expeditions.

She last climbed Island Peak in the Himalayas in October 2021. In 2016, she completed a basic mountaineering course at the Nehru Institute of Mountaineering in India.

Bithi made history in May 2018 when she became the first Bangladeshi woman to conquer the Lakpari peak (7,045 meters) in Tibet. In May 2019, she became the first Bangladeshi woman to cross the Durgesh Tashi Lapcha Pass (5,755 meters) in the Himalayas. In November 2021, she also crossed the famous Three Passes of the Himalayas.

Her other achievements include trekking to the base camp of Mount Kejajuri (15,500 feet) in Nepal in 2015, climbing Mount Mera (6,474 meters) in October 2016, and crossing the Throngla Pass (5,416 meters) in Nepal in April 2017. In October 2017, she completed the Manaslu Circuit (5,106 meters) as part of the first Bangladeshi team.