Prothom Alo journalist sued under DSA taken to court

Prothom Alo's Savar correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams, who has been sued under the Digital Security Act (DSA), was taken to a Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Thursday.

Shamsuzzaman has been shown arrested in the DSA case filed with Ramna police station and was taken to court around 9:30am on Thursday, confirmed Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Ramna Division Deputy Commissioner Md Shahidullah.

However, he refused to comment on whether police will appeal for his remand.

Earlier on Wednesday, a Digital Security Act (DSA) case was filed against national daily Prothom Alo's Editor Matiur Rahman, where the national daily's Savar correspondent Shamsuzzaman Shams was also accused alongside his associate cameraperson and other unnamed persons.

Lawyer Abdul Malek alias Mashiur Malek, filed the case with Ramna police station around 11:10pm on Wednesday.

Previously in the early hours of Wednesday, a DSA case was filed against Shamsuzzaman Shams with Tejgaon police station.

He was later picked up from his Savar home by the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) around 4am.

Syed Golam Kibria, the general secretary of Ward-11 of the Dhaka North city unit Jubo League, filed the case with Tejgaon Police Station around 2:15am.

The case statement said Shams, for his report, paid a child Tk10 and fabricated his quote.

This proves that the report published on 26 March in Prothom Alo was influenced by vested interests to tarnish the image of the government and the country globally, the statement added.

Kibria, in his statement, said his sentiments were hurt by the report published on Independence Day.

"Some senior officers of the CID came from Dhaka and picked up Shamsuzzaman from his residence around 4am. I do not know the names of the officials," Ashulia Police Station Sub-Inspector Raju Mondal confirmed to The Business Standard.

Witnesses said about 16 people in three cars came in front of Shamsuzzaman's house.

After he was picked up, they took Shamsuzzaman, Jahangirnagar University Chief Security Officer Sudipta Shaheen and a security guard, to an eatery on the university premises, where they had their Sahri meal.

They went back to Shamsuzzaman's house around 5:30am. One of the three cars had no number plates, witnesses said.