Clash in Bhola: Four sent to jail for ‘spreading rumour’
At least four persons have been sent to jail across the country in the last 24 hours for allegedly spreading rumour on social media over the police-protesters clash in Bhola on Sunday.
At least four people were killed and more than a hundred were injured as zealots clashed with police in Borhanuddin upazila over a hate conversation spread through Facebook and its messenger.
At one stage of the clash that broke out around 10:30am, law enforcers had to fire shots to disperse the mob, said police.
JOURNO SENT TO JAIL IN KHULNA
A Khulna court yesterday rejected the remand appeal against journalist Munir Uddin Ahmed after police sought a seven-day remand for interrogating him and sent him to jail, reports our correspondent.
Munir was arrested on Monday in a case filed against him under the digital security act for posting provocative status on social media. Judge Md Amirul Islam of Khulna Metropolitan Magistrate Court rejected the appeal, said Akhter Jahan Ruku, a lawyer for Munir.
Munir is the former general secretary of Khulna Press Club and district correspondent of English daily The New Nation.
Law enforcers arrested him from his Dolkhola residence on charge of posting provocative status on Facebook over the police-protesters clash in Bhola, said Sk Moniruzzaman Mithue, additional deputy commissioner of Khulna Metropolitan Police.
He said police seized Munir’s phone and found evidence of posting messages claiming that the clash took place due to failure of the authorities concerned.
Sub-inspector Md Sariful Alam of Khulna Sadar Police Station filed the case against Munir with the police station under sections 25, 28, 29 and 31 of the digital security act.
CHATTOGRAM
A man was arrested in Chattogram on Monday night on charge of spreading rumour on social media over the Bhola clash, using the photo of Chattogram Metropolitan Police commissioner, reports our staff correspondent.
Md Robiul Alam, 28, was arrested from Laldighi area on Monday night, said Mohammad Mohsin, officer-in-charge (OC) of Kotwali Police Station. “Robiul is an employee of a ship breaking yard in Sitakunda,” he said.
OC Mohsin said using the CMP commissioner’s photos, Robiul on Facebook claimed that law enforcers fired on the protesters upon his [commissioner’s] instruction.
Sub-inspector Sajal Das of Kotwali Police Station said the arrestee also introduced himself as the chief of “Jatiya Cyber Party” of Chattogram south. A case was filed against him with the police station under the digital security act, he added. A court sent him to jail yesterday, said OC Mohsin.
CUMILLA
The detective branch of police early yesterday arrested two persons in Cumilla over similar charges, reports our correspondent.
Abdullah, 21, and Md Shafiqul Islam Modhu, 38, were arrested from Debidwar upazila over spreading anti-state and communal propaganda on Facebook, using false identities, said Shakhawat Hossain, additional police superintendent of Cumilla. He was addressing a press briefing at the police superintendent’s office in the town.
“The two were arrested from their residences. Our cybercrime unit has been alert in this regard, and detected that they were spreading rumour on social media over the Bhola clash,” he said. During primary interrogation, they admitted to the charges, said Shakhawat. A case was filed under the digital security act and a court afterwards sent them to jail, he added.
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