A Khulna court has placed the Dhaka Tribune’s Khulna correspondent Hedait Hossain Molla on a three-day remand in a case filed under Digital Security Act, 2018.
Khulna Judicial Magistrate Court 3 Judge Nayan Biswas passed the order around 12pm on Wednesday.
Hedait's lawyer Tarique Mahmud Tara told the Dhaka Tribune: “The court placed him [Hedait] on a three-day remand after the case’s Investigating officer (IO), also Batiaghata police station’s Officer-in-Charge (OC), Mahbubur Rahman produced him before the court with a seven-days remand plea.”
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The court also rejected a bail plea for Hedait placed by Tara.
The arrestee, Hedait Hossain Molla, is also a correspondent for the Bangla Tribune, and the city editor of Khulna-based Daily Probaho.
Earlier on Tuesday evening, plainclothes policemen arrested the journalist in a case filed under the Digital Security Act, 2018, for providing “false” information regarding the 11th general election.
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Rashidul Islam, the Khulna correspondent of Daily Manabzamin, was also sued under in same case.
Khulna Assistant Returning Officer and Batiaghata Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) Debashish Chowdhury filed the case with Batiaghata police station regarding the matter, for which Hedait was arrested.
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In the first information report (FIR), Debashish Chowdhury wrote that despite 80% voter turnout in the Khulna 1 constituency, which encompasses the Batighata and Dacope upazilas Hedait had reported that 22,419 more votes were cast than the actual number of total voters in the constituency during Sunday’s general election.
In the case statement, Debashish claimed that contents of the report were untrue.
