Outrage in Feni as journo produced in court tied to rope

Jail

Feni, Nov 22 - Journalists and civil society people in Feni are up in arms with outrage over an incident where a journalist was trapped in a false case and then brought to court tied with a rope around his waist.  

The victim is SM Yusuf Ali, bureau chief of Dainik Adhikar, editor of online news portal ‘Feni Report’ and a resident of Purbochandrapur union in Dagonbhuiyan upazila of the district.

M Shahjahan Saju, who stood for the victim in court, said former Superintendent of Police (SP) of the district Jahangir Alam Sarkar filed some false cases against the four journalists including his client to harass them deliberately in 2019.

The newsmen secured bail from the High Court in the cases later, but chargesheets were submitted indicting them.

Journalist Yusuf Ali had somehow missed an appearance before a Feni court in one of the four cases filed with Chhagalnaiya police station.

Police picked him up from his residence around 1.30am on Wednesday and produced him before the court by tying rope around his waist on Wednesday, resulting in a severe outrage among the journalists over the matter.

He was sent to jail from the court after hearing the case.

Abu Taher, a senior journalist and Freedom Fighter, said that it was a condemnable incident that a journalist was taken to the court by tieing with rope which reflected clear abhorrence to Journalism.

Advocate Laxman Banik, president of Shushanoer Jonno Nagorik, a civil society organisation, said former SP Jahangir indicted the journalists in the false cases.

“It is not lawful to produce a journalist before a court tied to a rope,” he said.

Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, Didarul Alam, president and general secretary of Feni Reporters’ Unity respectively, demanded action against the former SP upon investigation in this regard. 

SP Jakir Hasan said the rope was untied and removed after the identity of the arrestee was established.  - UNB