Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman seeks bail again

Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman on Monday sought bail again in the case filed at Ramna police station in the capital under Digital Security Act (DSA).

The bail appeal was filed at the court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Dhaka, said Samsuzzaman’s lawyer Prasanta Kumar Karmaker.

He further said the bail appeal is likely to be heard at around 2:00 pm.

Ramna police produced Samsuzzaman before the CMM court on 30 March and appealed to keep him in jail while Samsuzzaman’s lawyer sought his bail that day. Later, the court ordered to send him to jail after hearing.

On that day Samsuzzaman was taken to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj from the court. On the next day, Friday, Samsuzzaman was shifted to Kashimpur Central Jail in Gazipur. Then on Saturday, he was once again brought to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

Samsuzzaman has been made accused in two cases filed at Ramna police station and Tejgaon police station under the Digital Security Act.

A team of around 14-15 people went to the house of Samsuzzaman near Jahangirnagar University in Savar at around 4:00 am on 29 March. They identified themselves as members of police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID), searched the room of Samsuzzaman and seized his laptop, two mobile phones, and a portable hard disk. Later, they picked Samsuzzaman up from his residence.

Around 20 hours after picking the journalist up from his residence, a case was filed before filing of the case at Ramna police station in the capital under Digital Security Act on 31 March night.

Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman was made the chief accused in the case filed by lawyer Abdul Malek (Mashiur Malek). He got six weeks anticipatory bail from the High Court in the case on Sunday.

A ‘graphics card’ was prepared with contents from a report of Prothom Alo Online for sharing in its Facebook page on 26 March. The card used a quote of day labourer Zakir Hossain. It used a photograph of a child, Sabuj, who was waiting outside of the closed gate of National Mausoleum in Savar.

The original report had a quote of the child as well. Both the quotes of the child and day labourer Zakir were separately placed in the original report. But Prothom Alo took down the ‘graphics card’ quickly from its Facebook page apprehending it would give birth to confusion among the readers. A note of correction was also published below the online report.

In connection with this, a Jubo League leader Syed Md. Golam Kibria filed a case with Tejgaon police station in Dhaka at 2:15 am on Wednesday. Jubo League is the youth wing of ruling Bangladesh Awami League. He was also a member of the central committee of Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling party.