Engineer arrested for Facebook post on Banshkhali coal power plant

Police have arrested an engineer named Shahnewaz Chowdhury, 38, for a Facebook post about the under construction coal power plant of S Alam Group at Banshkhali in Chattogram.

A Chattogram court sent Shahnewaz to jail after police produced him before the court on Friday. Police arrested him from his home at East Baraghona area of Banshkhali on the same day.

Shahnewaz was arrested in a case filed under the Digital Security Act by Faruq Ahmed, chief coordinator of coal-based power plant SS Power Limited. He has been accused of creating hate, instability and chaos by publishing offensive false information on Facebook.

Shahnewaz is the son of one Rashid Ahmed of Gandamara village in Banshkhali upazila.

Faruq Ahmed, the plaintiff of the case, told The Business Standard, "Shahnewaz spread false and malicious information on Facebook about the power project of SS Power Limited from his Facebook ID. Already, situation in the area is not stable since the incident of 17 April."

"The man has tried to persuade people through Facebook to deteriorate law and order situation again. So, I filed a case against Shahnewaz under the Digital Security Act on Thursday night. I came to know that the person is an engineer by profession," he added.

The Facebook post for which Shahnewaz was arrested says, "People of Banshkhali thought that Gandamara union was floating in the tide of development because of the environmentally destructive coal power plant for which 12 people have already been killed. Today, the people of the country are seeing that people of Gandamara are drowning in the tidal water. The youth of Banshkhali should play a leading role against injustice and development through fearless writing."

Some pictures were also uploaded with that post.

Banshkhali Police Station Officer-in-Charge Shafiul Kabir said a man named Shahnewaz was arrested on Friday in a case filed against him for spreading rumors on Facebook about the coal power project. When he was produced before the court that afternoon, the court ordered him to be sent to jail.

On 17 April last, seven workers were killed when police opened fire on a protest at the under construction SS Power Plant at Gandamara union of ​​Banshkhali upazila. Earlier, in 2016 and 2017, five villagers were killed in clashes with police over land acquisition.

There are allegations that many villagers have been evicted from their homes without proper compensation while implementing the power project. Locals alleged that although the company promised to create employments for locals at the time of land acquisition, they are now providing jobs to people outside the Banshkhali area.

In the two cases filed over the clash between workers and police at the power plant area on 17 April, 3,500 unidentified villagers have been accused.