Police have arrested a journalist in Gaibandha under the Digital Security Act in a case filed by the owner of a transport company named Fatema Paribahan.
Md Sirazul Islam Ratan, Gaibandha upazila correspondent for Daily Manabzamin, was arrested from his house on Tuesday and sent to Gaibandha district jail from court on the same day.
Palashbari police station OC Masudur Rahman said: “He was arrested in a case filed under the Digital Security Act by Abdus Sobhan alias Bichchu, president of Gaibandha District Minibus, Coach And Microbus Workers Union and the owner of Fatema Poribahan.”
Sirajul Islam Ratan’s lawyer ,Advocate Shahnewaz Khan, said a bail petition was filed with the Gaibandha Palashbari Cognizance Court. But the court’s Judge, Senior Judicial Magistrate Upendra Chandra Das, rejected bail and sent him to prison.
The case was filed against him because he criticized Fatema Paribahan for breaking the law by operating during the lockdown.
Previously, police had seized the buses of Fatema Paribahan while they were transporting people from Gaibandha to Dhaka during the lockdown and cases were also filed.
However, they recovered their vehicles and continued to run their buses.
Criticizing the transport company and its owner, journalist Ratan wrote on social media.
When transport company owner Abdus Sobhan got to know about the posts, he filed a case (Case number 14/107) against Ratan on May 12.
