Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman appears in court in DSA case

Prothom Alo’s staff correspondent Samsuzzaman on Tuesday appeared before the court in a case filed against him at Ramna police station in the capital under Digital Security Act (DSA).

He appeared before the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court in Dhaka in the morning.

Samsuzzaman’s lawyer Prashanta Kumar Karmaker told Prothom Alo that the court has fixed 27 July as the date for submission of report in the case filed with Ramna police station. The court also said Samsuzzaman will be on bail until the report is submitted.

Earlier, on Monday, Samsuzzaman appeared before the court in another case filed under the Digital Security Act with Tejgaon police station.

Some people identifying them as members of police’s Criminal Investigation Department (CID) picked up Prothom Alo’s staff correspondent Samsuzzaman from his residence in Savar late into night on 29 March. A person filed a case against him under the Digital Security Act at Tejgaon police station that night.

Nearly 30 hours after picking up from home, Samsuzzaman was shown arrested in another case filed under the Digital Security Act at Ramna police station and produced before a court.

Samsuzzaman got bail in the case from the CMM court on 3 April. He was also granted bail in the case filed at Tejgaon police station on 9 April.

Prothom Alo editor Matiur Rahman was also made an accused in the case filed at Ramna police station. He was granted a six weeks anticipatory bail from the High Court in the case on 2 April.

Later, on 3 May, he submitted a bailbond to the Dhaka Sessions Judge Court. The court fixed 16 August as the date of hearing in this regard. Protohm Alo editor’s lawyer Ehsanul Haque Shomaji on that day said Matiur Rahman will be on bail until 16 August.

Ehsanul Haque Shomaji, who is also a legal counsel of Samsuzzaman, told the court that the case was filed at midnight. The plaintiff, who filed the case at Tejgaon police station, came to know about the said incident while scrolling his mobile phone in front of Al-Razi Hospital in Farmgate in the capital (said in the case statement). But the statement has not mentioned the mobile phone number. Even it has not mentioned the sources of documents he attached with the case statement.

Ehsanul Haque Shomaji also said that Samsuzzaman did not commit any said crime under the Digital Security Act.