Journalists and social media users have expressed concern over former information adviser Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and DBC News Crime Chief Rajib Ghosh being taken to the Detective Branch (DB) office, with several professional bodies calling for clarification and Rajib’s release.
On Wednesday afternoon, DB officials took the two from the DBC News office in Mohakhali to the DB office on Minto Road in Dhaka. They are being questioned by the police.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said that if Iqbal had been detained, there must be specific allegations against him. He added that the matter would be examined in accordance with the law.
DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media) Md Akhtar Hossain said an unwanted situation had developed at the DBC office over the broadcast of a news report.
He said the two were taken to the DB office for their safety and questioning. Neither had been detained or arrested, he added, saying a decision would be made after the questioning.
Journalist Muktadir Rashid Romeo expressed concern in a Facebook post, calling for Rajib to be returned respectfully to his workplace.
He said taking a journalist into DB custody without specific allegations was alarming and amounted to an attack on journalism.
The Journalists Against Repression Front condemned the incident involving Iqbal and demanded his release. In a statement, the organisation’s Convener Akhtar Hossain and Member Secretary Sheikh Jamal voiced concern over the incident.
Iqbal is a former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), editor of The Daily Observer and former chairman of DBC News. He also served as information adviser to former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The Association of Television News Broadcasters (ATJFB) also expressed concern over the incident. In a joint statement, its President Tanzim Anwar and General Secretary Baten Biplob said there was no clarity about whether an arrest warrant had been issued or what legal process had been followed.
They called for due process, transparency and respect for the rights of those involved, and urged the authorities to release Rajib immediately.
The Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) also expressed concern, with its President Abu Saleh Akon and General Secretary Mynul Hasan Sohel demanding that the authorities disclose the whereabouts of the two to their families and colleagues.
The organisation called for their release if there was no legal basis for holding them.