Many people have written on their Facebook pages protesting against the custodial death of writer Mushtaq Ahmed, who was kept behind the bars in a case filed under the Digital Security Act.
A number of people alleged that the death of the writer is a murder while some others talked about the dark side of Digital Security Act under which the writer was confined in the jail for his writing. They demanded annulment of the law. Many people fear to write the truth because of this act, they said.
On his Facebook page, writer and blogger Maruf Rasul has written the evil-policy the government has adopted to muzzle the people through Digital Security Act, reveals the nature of current administration in Bangladesh. In a sense writer Mushtaq Ahmed has been killed by keeping him in jail without trial for days and torture.
One of the organisers of Ganajagaran Mancha, a youth platform, FM Shahin has written person dies in jail for writing in this country; sometimes beheaded and the brains scatter on road.
He was not a terrorist. He was a writer, pen was his weapon. A writer is a person with conscience. He protests against any crime. Mushtaq Ahmed also did that, wrote journalist Prabhas Amin on his Facebook wall. He also sought annulment of Digital Security Act.
A media person wrote it is more important to know how Mushtaq went to jail, for whom, and for whom he did not get bail than the investigation on his death in jail.
Ethnic minority community student leader Ananta Dhamai wrote (He) stayed at jail for months for writing and died there. But he did not kill anyone, did not steal, did not loot anything of the state, and not even was involved with any corruption. His crime is he only wrote.
In her Facebook status, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation leader Nasrin Akhter alleged that interned writer Mushtaq Ahmed was killed.
Many people have been protesting against the Digital Security Act for the death of Mushtaq Ahmed. Some said people's freedom of expression is being curbed because of the law. That is why many demanded repealing the law.
Shrabon Publishing House’s Robin Ahsan said that writers and artists are being arrested under the Digital Security Act and tortured to death.
A Bangladeshi student Hafiz Mahmud, now studying in Turkey, on his Facebook page has written, death is death; nothing can return this. A party feeds people bridges and development in a land where there is no guaranty of normal death because the dead bodies will be carried through the highway of development.
Many people commented below the news reports on the death of Mushtaq Ahmed that Prothom Alo online carried. A certain Nadim Mahmud held media responsible for the death as “they supported the law in many ways.”
One Sarwar Chowdhury said why everyone tells a lie that Mushtaq died in jail? He was killed in the jail. A certain Rashidullah has written that the intellectuals cannot shun their responsibilities from this murder. Incumbent government has washed away all the spirits of independence.
One of the Prothom Alo readers, Fakhrul Islam, commented below a report asking people to continue their protest. A certain Abdul Mannan said the number of incidents of harassments of people by RAB, police for trifling reasons is not small. Newspapers could not cover every aspect of the incident as well. The number of agencies harassing people is high, it seems. Every agency wants to show off as well.
Mujib Rahman said I strongly condemn the act of killing him (Mushtaq). The state is making life tougher for the writers and thoughtful people. This death is not the end, it would continue. Such deaths will continue if the country dos not return to the path of fair democracy. A certain Nurur Rahman has written, arrested writer Mushtaq dies in jail, nowadays many writers fear to write the truth because of the monster called Digital Security Act.
Writer Mushtaq Ahmed had been interned at Kashimpur High Security Prison, Gazipur on 4 May 2020 in a case filed under the Digital Security Act. He died on Thursday night.