ETV boss Salam denied bail

Two days after arrest, Ekushey Television (ETV) Chairman Abdus Salam was denied bail today and sent to prison in a case filed over pornography control law.

The Dhaka court which squashed Salam’s bail and remand prayers this morning, ordered police to quiz him at prison gate within five working days.

Metropolitan Magistrate Meher Nigar Shuchona passed the order in presence of the accused scrapping a prayer for seven-day remand and a bail plea.

ETV Chairman Salam was shown arrested in a Cantonment police case filed in line with the pornography control act over a programme it aired last year.

His arrest came after the privately-owned channel was stopped allegedly because of airing “too much coverage” of a speech of BNP Senior Vice-Chairman Tarique Rahman.

Also yesterday, the High Court banned all media outlets in the country from publishing Tarique’s say citing that he was a fugitive living abroad.

Salam was held early Tuesday from his Kawran Bazar office in Dhaka and shown arrested in the case that afternoon. He was produced before the court of Meher Nigar who jailed him and kept the bail, remand plea hearing for today.