A Jhalakathi court yesterday issued arrest warrant against Matiur Rahman, the daily Prothom Alo editor, and Sajid Hossain, its photographer, in a case filed for hurting religious sentiment.
Chief Judicial Magistrate Md Arifuzzaman passed the order as the duo did not appear before it on three dates, reports our Barisal correspondent. February 22 has been set for the next hearing.
The court summoned the accused to appear before it on November 16, December 17 and yesterday.
The case was filed on October 9 last year under sections 295 and 298 of the Penal Code accusing Matiur of hurting religious sentiment of the plaintiff – lawyer Bony Amin Baklai – by publishing a cartoon of Prophet Muhammad (SM) in its now-defunct satire magazine “Alpin” on September 17, 2007. The Prothom Alo editor was accused of publishing a “fake photo” of Hindu women casting vote during last year’s January 5 election, taken by photojournalist Sajid, adds our Jhalakathi correspondent.
If the charges are proved, the accused would have to face maximum two years’ imprisonment.
The four weeks’ anticipatory bail they had secured ended on January 12.