[4] A girl of 14, Shab Meher, was brought to Narayanganj from a poor village with the promise of work, but was sold to a sadarni (madam) of a brothel in Tanbazar.

[2] On 25 June 1999, local Awami League MP Shamim Osman formed a committee of 50 members to close the brothel and rehabilitate the women working there.

Early the next morning a sex worker was murdered and tensions ran high, leading to a large police presence both inside and around the brothel.

Therefore, Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has decided to sanction two crores (20 million) takas to rehabilitate them and offer them a new dawn," Osman is quoted as saying.

[7] Under pressure from local authorities, and threats their other business interests would suffer, the property owners closed the brothel on 12 July 1999.

[4][9] Human rights group and the media reported that the police engaged in violence and looting during the raid:[7] "the policemen suddenly dragged them, abused and beat them and pushed them and their children into the waiting buses using filthy language".

[7] 59 organisations formed a group named Shonghoti to protest against the eviction and subsequent human rights violations suffered by the sex workers.

[11] "Volunteer Association - 59" launched a writ action in the High Court for the violation of the sex workers' constitutional rights on 1 August.