Unbelievable drive to arrest Samsuzzaman 20 hrs after detaining him

Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman was picked up from his house in Savar at around 4:00am Wednesday morning by persons identifying themselves as CID men. He was produced before the court today, Thursday. Prior to that, neither CID nor anyone of the law enforcement agencies admitted to detaining him or picking him up.

Producing him before the court 30 hours after he was picked up, the police in a report said that they had carried out an IT operation in different places of Dhaka and then arrested Samsuzzaman at Wednesday midnight from in front of Bangabandhu International Convention Centre.

Home minister Asaduzzaman, however, told journalists on Thursday that CID had initially picked him up to interrogate him about certain information pertaining to Prothom Alo and Ekattur TV. After interrogation and letting him go, cases were filed against him at various placed and so he was arrested again.

At various times throughout Wednesday, several ministers had told Prothom Alo that he would be released. But he ultimately was not released.

At 12:36am Wednesday, a call was made from Samsuzzaman’s mobile phone to a colleague in Prothom Alo. Over the phone, Samsuzamman said that CID was dropping him off at the China Friendship Convention Centre (Bangabandhu Convention Centre). He then said he could see another law enforcement team ahead. He was then heard telling someone, “Bhai, please drop me a bit further on.”

Within 10 minutes of receiving the call, two Prothom Alo journalists arrived at the spot by motorbike. But Samsuzzaman wasn’t there. He wasn’t receiving phone calls either. Later his phone was turned off. The Prothom Alo journalists waited there for a long time and looked around the area, but could not find him.

The question has arisen as to how at 12:30 in the night, the Ramna police station police carried out an operation and arrested him from the same spot. That was not all. Upon receiving information that a case was being filed against the Prothom Alo editor under the Digital Security Act, several media persons including two Prothom Alo correspondents arrived at the Ramna police station at 12:30 in the night. They were not allowed to enter and waited until 2:00am at the gate. They too didn’t see Samsuzzaman being brought to the police station though he had been made accused, under the Digital Security Act, along with the Prothom Alo editor, at the Ramna police station that night. And it was in that case that he was produced before the court on Thursday morning after being nabbed in the ‘arrest drive’.

Probing these claims made by the police, startling information was revealed. While his family and colleagues had been contacting various places to find his whereabouts and what was happening to him, the CID surreptitiously made Samsuzzaman call an acquaintance to the Malibagh CID office.

A source related to the matter told Prothom Alo, the phone call had been made to a former student of Jahangirnagar University. He arrived at the Malibagh CID office at around 11:15pm Wednesday night. He had to sign a paper that CID was handing over Samsuzzaman to him. They returned Samsuzzaman’s phone. They took them by a CID vehicle, saying that they would drop them to Savar. When the vehicle reached near Bangabandhu International Convention Centre, it halted. Another vehicle was waiting there from beforehand. Samsuzzaman was taken into that vehicle and the former Jahangirnagar University student was made to get out of the car and told to leave.

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Samsuzzaman’s acquaintance said that when they got out of the car, a number of persons got out of the waiting vehicle. They introduced themselves as members of the law enforcement. They said there were some legal issues and took Samsuzzaman with them in their vehicle.

Prothom Alo tried to get a statement from the concerned quarters about this journalist being detained for 20 hours, being handed over to the police at midnight on the pretext of being released, and then the unbelievable claim of him being caught in a drive to arrest him. However, the concerned CID and police officials did not respond when attempts were made to contact them.

Additional deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Ramna zone, Md Harun Ar Rashid, when contacted, advised to speak to senior officials about the matter.