Sued under DSA: Court accepts charges against Kishore

A Dhaka tribunal yesterday accepted the charges against cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore and six others in a case filed under the Digital Security Act, allegedly for spreading rumours and carrying out anti-government activities.

Judge Mohammad Ash Sams Joglul Hossain of Dhaka Cyber Tribunal accepted the charge sheet of the case after scrutinising the case dockets and other relevant documents, Shamim Al Mamun, bench assistant of the tribunal, told The Daily Star.

The six other accused are: Hungary-based entrepreneur Zulkarnain Saer Khan alias Sami; Swedish-Bangladeshi journalist Tasneem Khalil who runs Netra News; Minhaj Mannan Emon, managing director of BLE Securities and shareholder-director of Dhaka Stock Exchange; Didarul Islam Bhuiyan, a member of Rashtrachinta; Ashik Imran; and Shapan Wahed.

The tribunal issued arrest warrants against Sami, Tasmeem, Ashik and Shapan as they were shown "fugitives" in the charge sheet, Shamim said.

The judge also directed the officer-in-charge of Ramna Police Station to submit the reports on execution of the arrest warrants by September 30, Shamim added.

Of them, Kishore, Minhaj and Didarul were earlier arrested and they are now on bail, while the others have been shown on the run.

Writer Mushtaq Ahmed's name was dropped from the charge sheet as he died at Kashimpur High Security Jail on February 25.

The court also relieved US-based journalist Shahed Alam, Germany-based blogger Asif Mohiuddin and Philip Schuhmacher from the charges of the case as investigators did not find any evidence against the four in the case.

The Rapid Action Battalion arrested Kishore, Mushtaq, Minhaj and Didarul from the capital from May 4-6 last year.

On May 6 that year, Abu Bakar Siddique, assistant director of Rab-3, filed a case against 11 people, including Kishore, Mushtaq, Didarul and Minhaj, with Ramna Police Station under the DSA.

The 11 were prosecuted under sections 21, 25(1) (b), 31 and 35 of the DSA, which deals with anyone running propaganda or campaign, "against the Liberation War of Bangladesh, the cognition of the Liberation War, Father of the Nation, National Anthem or National Flag", anyone "tarnishing the image of the nation or spreading confusions" or attempting to "create hostility, hatred or adversity among people or destroy communal harmony or create unrest or disorder or deteriorating or threatening to deteriorate law and order".

On March 4 this year, Kishore walked out of jail after languishing in jail for 10 months, while Minhaj and Didarul obtained bail in the case in September last year.

Investigation officer Afchhar Ahmed, a sub-inspector of Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crime unit of police, submitted the supplementary charge sheet with the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate's Court of Dhaka on June 13.