Twenty-two citizens of the country issued a joint statement expressing deep concern over a Facebook status by Journalist Zillur Rahman raising allegations of intimidation by the police in the name of gathering information.
Police officials reportedly went to Zillur Rahman’s native home in Shariatpur to collect information on him, he said in a Facebook post on Thursday.
Zillur, also the executive director of the think tank Center for Governance Studies (CGS), further wrote that the police could have contacted him directly as he lives in Dhaka and has an office there as well.
In the Facebook post, Zillur Rahman further said, “It is not only reprehensible but also very disturbing to see that the police are being used to suppress my voice.”
In this context, the statement from the eminent citizens issued on Sunday (25 December), said that the police’s conduct was unwarranted and that it is worrisome to hear of such complaints by a renowned individual like journalist Zillur Rahman.
“Collection of public information by law enforcement agencies is a normal process to ensure the rule of law. However, Article 31 of the Constitution states that ‘no action shall be taken, except in accordance with law, which results in the loss of life, liberty, body, reputation or property of any person’. In this situation, the complaint by Zillur Rahman creates a sense of apprehension among the public,” the statement further read.
The citizens demanded that an impartial investigation be conducted on the basis of the allegations raised by Zillur Rahman and that the responsible persons be brought to justice.
Those who issued the statement are Dr Mahbub Ullah, Prof Dr Asif Nazrul; Dr Abdul Latif Masum; Prof Dr Mohammad Kamrul Ahsan, Prof Dr Iftikharul Alam Masud, Noor Khan Liton, Syed Abdal Ahmad, Barrister Jyotirmoy Barua, Prof Dr Shamima Sultana, M Zakir Hussain Khan, Prof Kamrunnesa Khandkar, Mahbub Morshed, Dr Maruf Mallik, Faiz Ahmad Tayub, Dr Munir Uddin Ahmed, Sultan Muhammad Zakaria, Md Saimum Reza Talukder, Barrister Shihab Uddin Khan, Barrister Zeeshan Mohsin, Mohammad Shamsuddin, Ehsan Mahmood and Zakaria Palash.
