Journalists and civil society in Feni are up in arms with outrage over an incident where a journalist was trapped in a false case and then brought to court at the end of a rope that was tied around his waist.
The victim is SM Yusuf Ali, bureau chief of Dainik Adhikar, editor of online news portal ‘Feni Report’ and a resident of Purbochandrapur union in Dagonbhuiyan upazila of the district.
M Shahjahan Saju, who stood for the victim in court, said former Superintendent of Police (SP) of the district Jahangir Alam Sarkar filed some false cases against the four journalists including his client to harass them deliberately in 2019.
Though the newsmen secured bail from the High Court in the cases later, the chargesheets were submitted by indicting them.
Journalist Yusuf Ali had somehow missed an appearance before a Feni court in hearing in one of the four cases filed with Chhagalnaiya police station.
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Police picked him up from his residence around 1.30am on Wednesday and produced him before the court by tying rope around his waist on Wednesday, resulting in a severe outrage among the journalists over the matter.
He was landed in jail from the court after hearing the case.
Abu Taher, a senior journalist and heroic Freedom Fighter, said that it was a condemnable matter that a journalist was taken to the court by tiring with rope which is a clear abhorrent to the Journalism.
Advocate Laxman Banik, president of Shushanoer Jonno Nagorik, a civil society organisation, said former SP Jahangir indicted the journalists in the false cases.
“It is not lawful to produce a journalist before a court tied to a rope,” he said.
Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, Didarul Alam, president and general secretary of Feni Reporters’ Unity respectively, demanded action against the former SP upon investigation in this regard.
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SP Jakir Hasan said the rope was untied and removed after the identity of the arrestee was established, putting the earlier action in a ‘cuffing’.