Bandarban: Another case filed against Star reporter
Parbatya Bangalee Chhatra Parishad, a platform of Bangalee settlers in the Chattogram Hill Tracts (CHT), filed another case against the Bandarban correspondent of The Daily Star for using the word “indigenous” in a report.
Md Ibrahim, former vice-president of the organisation, on Thursday filed the case with the Bandarban District Session Judge Court against Sanjoy Kumar Barua for using the word “indigenous” in a report titled “Three indigenous villages face land grabbing” published in the daily on July 28.
In the case statement, he alleged that the correspondent used the word by violating the articles 23 (A) and 36 (2) of the country’s constitution in an attempt to “provoke anarchy” in the hills.
After recording the case, the court fixed October 2 for hearing, said Debasish Devnath, bench assistant of the court.
On August 27, Ibrahim filed another case under the Digital Security Act with the court of Senior Judicial Magistrate Mohammad Hasan accusing the correspondent of the same.
But the judge dismissed the case saying there was no legal barrier in using the term “indigenous”.
“The government of Bangladesh discourages using the term ‘Adivasi’, but it does not discourage using ‘indigenous’,” the judge said while passing the order, adding that the two words do not mean the same thing.
“Therefore, it is not evident that the accused had committed an offence by using the word ‘indigenous’ in his report,” the judge said.
In the latest case statement, Ibrahim also alleged that Senior Judicial Magistrate Hasan had “arbitrarily” dismissed the case.
When asked if anyone had influenced him in filing the cases, Ibrahim said, “Some Bangalee leaders of CHT and I had a meeting on August 20 and decided to file the cases against the reporter as he has long been working for the rights of the hilly people.”
On August 19, Masum Rana, president of another forum of Bangalee settlers named Parbatya Adhikar Forum, filed another case against Sanjoy for the same.
Contacted, Sanjeeb Drong, general secretary of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, said, “We strongly protest filing of multiple cases against a journalist who works for the rights of indigenous people,” adding that filing of such cases is a threat to the press freedom in the country.
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