Amar Desh acting editor sent to jail

A Dhaka court yesterday sent arrested Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman to jail in a case filed in connection with resisting arrest, assault on law enforcers and preventing them from doing their job.
Police filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station yesterday morning.
Mahmudur was arrested around 4:00am yesterday at the daily's office following a nightlong standoff between police and his supporters and employees.
A number of pro-BNP lawyers brought out a procession on the court premises protesting his arrest and demanding his release. Police charged truncheons on their demonstration that left seven lawyers injured.
Police had also sought a five-day remand for him but the court only allowed the law enforcers to quiz him at the jail gate within the next three days.
Mahmudur, however, obtained bail in another case filed against him on Tuesday by Hasmat Ali, former publisher of Amar Desh, in connection with illegally using Hasmat's name as the publisher of the daily and damaging his social image. Mahmudur's bail was given against a Tk 20,000 bond.
The government cancelled the declaration of Amar Desh Tuesday citing that the paper has no publisher.
Meanwhile, political parties, including the main opposition BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and journalists' unions and a few other organisations held rallies and protested the closing down of Amar Desh and the arrest of Mahmudur.
Sub-Inspector Shafiqur Rahman of Tejgaon Police Station filed the case accusing Mahmudur Rahman, his deputy editor and chief correspondent Syed Abdal Ahmed, assistant editor Sanjeeb Chowdhury, city editor Jahed Chowdhury, reporter Alauddin Arif, peon Saiful Islam and 100 unidentified people.
Officer-in-Charge Mahbubur Rahman told The Daily Star that the case was filed in connection with injuring policemen, obstructing them from doing their duties, issuing them threats and keeping them confined to a room when they went to arrest him.
Police went to arrest Mahmudur in connection with the case Hasmat Ali had filed. After the case was filed, police stormed the newspaper office at Karwan Bazar.
Our court correspondent reports: Mahmudur was produced before the Court of Metropolitan Magistrate Nazrul Islam and the court granted him bail in Hasmat Ali's case.
Police then showed him arrested in the case they filed in connection with resisting arrest, assault on policemen and obstructing their duties.
Police sought a five-day remand for him while Mahmudur's lawyers sought his bail. Hearing both sides the court ordered him to be sent to jail.
Meanwhile, an official of Amar Desh told The Daily Star yesterday afternoon that a lawyer of the daily sent a legal notice to the Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's office asking it to answer within a week whether it would appoint Mahmudur Rahman as the publisher of the daily.
DC Md Mohibul Haque, however, said he was yet to receive such legal notice. He said the DC office would take steps according to the rules after receiving the notice.
On Tuesday, Hasmat Ali lodged a complaint with Dhaka Deputy Commissioner's office alleging that Mahmudur illegally used his name as the publisher of the daily.
The DC office had asked Mahmudur to clarify why he was publishing the name of Hasmat Ali as the publisher. "Mahmudur had replied with his clarification but his clarification was not satisfactory to the authorities," said DC Mohinul.
Moreover, Mahmudur in a letter to the DC office in March said he wanted to be the publisher of the newspaper.
After getting the application, the DC office asked the Dhaka Special Branch (DSB) of police to give a report on Mahmudur Rahman whether he is eligible to be the publisher of the newspaper, said Mohibul.
"We have received a negative report from the Special Branch today, the DC said on Tuesday.
When asked, on what grounds the DSB gave a negative report, the DC said they mentioned several reasons including that there are 31 cases filed against Mahmudur.
"We had been waiting for the report of the Dhaka Special Branch since Mahmudur Rahman filed an application as an aspirant publisher of Amar Desh. But when we received the negative report from the Special Branch today [Tuesday], we cancelled the declaration of the paper as it has no publisher," the DC had said.
Sources said Mahmudur became the acting editor of Amar Desh after he, Tasnim Alam, Anwar-un-Nobi Majumder Babla, engineer Shakil Wahed Suman and Alamgir Hossain bought shares of the daily from Hasmat Ali and four companies.
Later, Alamgir Hossain handed over his shares to Tasnim Alam, Anwar-un-Nobi Majumder Babla, engineer Shakil Wahed Suman and Mahmudur.
Mahmudur Rahman is the major shareholder of the paper.