A Dhaka court on Wednesday set 15 March for further investigation into the case filed against 11 people, including Samiul alias Zulkarnain Sayer Khan under the Digital Security Act for posting anti-government posts on social media, reports state-run news agency BSS.
Additional metropolitan magistrate Abu Bakkar Siddique set the new date as Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime Unit (CTTC) of the police could not file the report on Wednesday.
Earlier on 5 May last year, RAB-3 CPC-1 warrant officer Mohammad Abu Bakar Siddique filed a case against 11 people under the Digital Security Act with Ramna police station in the capital. Another five-six unidentified people were made accused in the case.
On 13 January, the investigation officer submitted the charge sheet of the case against cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, coordinator of ‘Rashtrachinta Dhaka’ Didarul Bhuiyan, and writer Mushtaq Ahmed.
However, as no evidence was found, the police applied for the release of the other eight accused.
The released are -- Minhaj Mannan, former director of Dhaka Stock Exchange, Tasnim Khalil, editor-in-chief of Netra News, Shahed Alam, a journalist living in the US, Asif Mohiuddin, a German expatriate blogger, Zulkarnain Sayer Khan, who was recently seen giving an interview in a report aired on Al Jazeera television, Ashiq Imran, Swapan Wahid and Philip Schumacher.
The statement also said that anti-state posts, cartoons of various leaders of the ruling party were found as an evidence of creating confusion and spreading rumours among the people
However, the prosecution objected to the charge sheet. On 10 February, judge of the Bangladesh Cyber Tribunal, As-Shams Jaglul Hossain, objected and directed the CTTC for further investigate and submit a report.
The case statement says the accused posted various propaganda and rumours on a Facebook page called ‘I am Bangladeshi’ to tarnish the image or reputation of the state and to spread confusion.
Their activities have created confusion among the people and degraded law and order, the statement added.
Admin of that page Sayer Zulkarnain and, Kishore, Ashiq Imran, Philip Schumacher, Swapan Wahid, Mushtaq Ahmed and five other editors have been running the Facebook page for a long time.
The case statement further states that evidences of “conspiratorial conversation/chat against the state” were found against Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Tasnim Khalil, Zulkarnain Sayer Khan, Shahed Alam and Asif Mohiuddin in a social media group chat.
The statement also said that anti-state posts, cartoons of various leaders of the ruling party were found as an evidence of creating confusion and spreading rumours among the people.