Jhumon finally out on bail

After more than six months in jail in a case filed under the Digital Security Act, Jhumon Das finally walked out of Sunamganj District Jail at 6:15pm yesterday.

 Earlier in the afternoon, the High Court's bail order, issued last Thursday, reached the jail.

Jhumon's mother Niva Rani Das was present at the jail gate when Jhumon appeared.

She told The Daily Star that she was happy to get her son back. "I would be happier to see my son acquitted of all charges. I am worried about his safety."

She said police were escorting them to their village.

Jhumom's lawyer Debangshu Sekhar Das said the certified copy of the HC bail order reached Sunamganj on Tuesday.

The High Court on September 23 granted Jhumon conditional bail for one year in the case filed over criticising former Hefajat-e-Islam leader Mamunul Haque on Facebook.

Police, with the help of locals, detained Jhumon on March 16 to pacify agitated Hefajat supporters and avoid a possible attack on the village.

They showed Jhumon, 25, arrested under section 54 of Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and produced him before a Sunamganj court on March 17.

The court later sent him to jail. His Facebook post allegedly led to a mayhem in Noagaon village of Sunamganj's Shalla upazila on March 17, which saw about 90 Hindu houses vandalised and looted.

On March 22, police filed the case against Jhumon and 20-30 unnamed people under DSA. In the case statement, they attached Jhumon's Facebook post and mentioned that he intentionally spread information that was aggressive, intimidating, false, and disgraceful in nature.