Probir for probe into police role

Senior journalist Probir Sikdar yesterday demanded an investigation into police's claim that he didn't hand them over a draft of a general diary.

His demand came after the officer-in-charge and the OC (investigation) of Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station asserted that Probir didn't submit any application to them to record it as a GD.

“I went to the police station on July 22 and submitted my application to Inspector (investigation) Sabbir Ahmed. He received it and assured me of taking proper action after consultations with police high-ups,” Probir told The Daily Star.

“But after three days, police informed me that they couldn't record my application as a GD,” he added.

In the draft GD, the editor of the daily Bangla 71 and online news portal u71news.com said he feared for his life and that of his family.

Probir yesterday said he posted a Facebook status as a last resort after being denied by law enforcers of filing the GD.

On July 25, he posted a status about the police refusing to record his application as a GD. Two weeks later, he posted another status on the social networking website, expressing fear for his life and that the LGRD minister, businessman Moosa bin Shamser and condemned fugitive war criminal Abul Kalam Azad would be responsible if he were killed.

Following the Facebook post, a case was filed against him with Faridpur Sadar Police Station under the ICT Act for “tarnishing the image of LGRD Minister Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain.”

Detectives on August 16 picked up the journalist from his Indira Road office in the capital.

Probir was remanded for three days, but was freed on bail on Wednesday, the second day of his remand.

Biplob Kumar Sarker, deputy commissioner (Tejgaon) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said he was unaware of the fact that the journalist went to Sher-e-Bangla Nagar Police Station to file a GD.

“Even if he was denied by the on-duty cops of filing the GD, he could have contacted the police high-ups,” added Biplob.

Probir in 2001 had written a series of reports titled Sei Razakar in Bangla daily Janakantha on some suspected war criminals, including a controversial businessman from Faridpur and now condemned war criminal Abul Kalam Azad, also known as Bacchu Razakar, according to the draft of the GD.

He was attacked in April that year following his write-ups. In the attack, he lost a leg and also strength and mobility of one hand.