ODHIKAR REPORT ON HEFAJAT CRACKDOWN Elan, Adilur accused of instigating public sentiment

Investigators have charged two top officials of Odhikar, a rights organisation, for publishing a false report and doctored photos on the death toll of a police crackdown on Hefajat-e Islam rally in the capital.

The Detective Branch (DB) of police, which investigated Odhikar claim of 61 deaths in the May 5 police crackdown, pressed charge sheet on Wednesday against Nasiruddin Elan and Adilur Rahman Khan, director and secretary of the rights watchdog respectively, before a Dhaka court.

The charges were brought under Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act and penal code, Monirul Islam, DB joint commissioner, told reporters at DB headquarters on Minto Road in the capital.

Adilur is now in Kashimpur jail.

After submitting the charge sheet before the Court of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Dhaka, investigation officer Inspector Ashraful Islam appealed with court for arresting Elan.

The court however did not issue any order in this regard Wednesday.

Khan was arrested on August 10 shortly after filing of a general diary (GD) with Gulshan Police Station for publishing a “false report” on the crackdown on Hefajat-e Islam in the capital’s Motijheel area on May 5.

The report published on Odhikar website claimed that 61 people were killed during the crackdown when law enforcers flushed out several thousand Hefajat activists who took to the street and resorted to mayhem following a Dhaka seize programme.

According to the prosecution report submitted before the court on Wednesday, the accused intentionally tried to instigate people’s sentiment by publishing “confusing” report on Odhikar website, claiming that 61 people were killed during the crackdown.

The organisation also uploaded some “Photoshopped images” of the drive on its webpage showing injured people as dead, Monirul said quoting the charge sheet.

Source: The Daily Star