Khulna court denies journo bail in case under DSA

A Khulna court yesterday rejected the bail petition of a local journalist in a case filed under the Digital Security Act over circulating misinformation on Facebook against the city mayor.

Another court in Joypurhat sent a youth to jail in a case filed under the controversial law over making derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina on Facebook.

Journalist Abu Tayeb's lawyer Akhter Jahan Ruku submitted the bail petition virtually, but Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Golam Sarwar rejected it.

Abu Tayeb is the Khulna correspondent of private television channel ntv and the daily Loksamaj.

The journalist was arrested from his Khulna home Tuesday, hours after city Mayor Talukder Abdul Khalek filed the case against him.

The mayor in the case statement alleged that Abu Tayeb deliberately circulated misinformation against him on Facebook multiple times.

A day after his arrest, a Khulna court sent him to jail.

In Joypurhat, a court yesterday sent Md Amanullah Aman to jail in the other DSA case.

The 19-year-old accused is a resident of Moddhopara village in Kalai upazila.

Police said a local Chhatra League leader recently in a Facebook post welcomed the arrests of some Hefajat-e-Islam leaders.

Later, Amanullah made "derogatory" comments about the prime minister under the Facebook post. The matter went viral on social media.

On Wednesday afternoon, Kalai municipality ward Councillor Towfiqul Islam Touhid, also the convener of upzila Chhatra League, filed the case against Amanullah.

The accused was arrested from Matrai Bazar area of the upazila within hours, said Salim Malik, officer-in-charge of Kalai Police Station.

[Our correspondents in Khulna and Dinajpur contributed to this report.]