Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu said the incident of arresting journalist Probir Sikdar was ‘unfortunate’ and the LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain claimed they were left with ‘no other choice but to arrest the journalist’.
Minister Inu said the incident of Probir’s arrest would not hamper the freedom of media and said that the government will ensure that Probir is not denied legal rights.
The journalist was detained on Sunday night and was shown arrested in a case filed under the ICT Act for defaming Minister Khandakar Mosharraf Hossain on Facebook. There has been outrage in the social media platforms for arresting the senior journalist.
Khandakar Mosharraf, MP from Faridpur is the father-in-law to the daughter of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Rights activists claimed that the arrest of Probir was a misuse of the ICT Act. A Faridpur court has granted police three days to interrogate Sikdar.
“I know Probir Sikdar personally. He is close to me. His arrest is unfortunate,” Inu said mentioning that he had helped the journalist last time he was in trouble.
Police allegedly refused to take a complaint by Sikdar as he alleged that he was threatened on his facebook posts. On August 10, he talked about the alleged intimidation in his Facebook posting and blamed LGRD Minister Hossain, business tycoon Moosa bin Shamser and death-row war criminal Bachchu Razakar for the threat to his life.
Musa Bin Shamsher’s daughter is married to the son of Awami League Presidium Member and the prime minister’s cousin Sheikh Fazlul Karim Selim, MP.
Sikdar had written on Shamser’s alleged role in the Liberation War in an article titled ‘Shei Razakar’ when he was the Faridpur correspondent of Daily Janakantha in 2001.
Inu said the journalists were enjoying their rights in collecting information, and criticizing and expressing different opinions and the government will not curb the rights of the journalists.
“It’s incorrect to think that the freedom of media is being curbed by the arrest of one individual. The government stood by the journalists when they were harassed by administration or militants in some situations” the information minister added.
“Our government has ensured uninterrupted information flow,” Inu said.
LGRD Minister Mosharraf claimed on Monday that he did not know about the case being filed against Sikdar.
“Why will I not take strong legal action against someone who is openly writing that if he is killed, I am the one who will be responsible for it? Did I do anything wrong?” the minister told reporters.
He mentioned that there was no other way than arresting Probir in a case filed under Section 57 of the ICT Act.
Asked to comment on the matter, Inu said it was the government’s duty to protect ICT-based digital society from cyber criminals.
“We’re trying to formulate a cyber crimes Act like the developed countries which will protect millions of our people who are enjoying benefits of information and technology,” Inu said.
However, the information minister warned everyone against violating the law, hurting religious sentiments and laws on privacy while exercising freedom of speech.
A journalist asked minister Inu if arresting anyone before filing of a case or someone lodging a case for writing against someone else were violation of the law.
Inu replied that there was nothing that could be done even if there were faults in the legal procedures followed by administrative officials during Prabir Sikdar’s arrest as the matter is in the hands of the court now.
“I’ll make sure he gets justice,” the minister said.
Source: Ittefaq
