A Dhaka court yesterday placed Ekushey Television (ETV) Chairman Abdus Salam on a five-day remand in a sedition case for airing “fabricated and instigating” speech of Tarique Rahman.
Metropolitan Magistrate Wais Kuruni Khan Chowdhury passed the order after ABM Moshiur Rahman, officer-in-charge (investigation) of Tajgaon Police Station and also the investigation officer, produced Salam before the court.
The investigation officer prayed for a seven-day remand but the court granted five days.
In the remand prayer the IO said, the accused needed to be quizzed as to why he aired the speech of Tarique Rahman and who others are involved in the “conspiracy against the sovereignty of the state”.
Salam’s counsel Mosleh Uddin Jasim in a petition denied his client’s involvement in any conspiracy stated in the remand prayer.
The government filed the case against Salam in a bid to stifle the freedom of the media, he said.
On January 8 Assistant Sub-Inspector Borhan Uddin filed a case with Tejgaon police station against BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman, Salam and others unnamed accused for broadcasting Tarique’s speech on Ekushey Television on January 5.
According to the case statement Tarique Rahman in his speech asked his party members not to return home until the present Awami League government quit power.
While addressing a discussion on the “Democracy Killing Day” in East London, Tarique said: “The aim of our movement is to oust the Hasina-led government, restoration of democracy, and election under an impartial election-time administration.”
Tarique, from London, has recently made various derogatory remarks on Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman and history of Bangladesh.
Earlier detectives on January 6 detained ETV Chairman Abdus Salam when he went down to the ground floor of ETV office in connection with the case filed under pornography act.