Shahidul on seven-day remand

‘I was hit (in custody). I bled,’ Shahidul tells court

‘I was hit (in custody). I bled,’ Shahidul tells court

Dhaka, Aug 6 (Just News): A Dhaka court on Monday granted seven day’s remand for interrogating activist and internationally acclaimed photographer Shahidul Alam in a case filed under ICT Act with Ramna police station.

The court of metropolitan magistrate Asaduzzman Noor passed the order after detective branch inspector Arman Ali produced Shahidul before the court and sough 10 days’ remand.

Investigation officer Arman Ali in his prayer sought 10 day’s remand for Shahidul citing that he was arrested in case filed under section 57 (2) of the Information and Communication Technology Act on charge of spreading imaginary propaganda against the government on his Facebook page that triggered panic among public and caused deterioration of law and order.

Arman Ali told the court that Shahidul was hatching international conspiracy against Bangladesh and at that time defence counsel requested the court to ask the investigation officer to produce document in support of his claim.Then Arman repeatedly called for letting him finish his words.

Shahidul’s counsel Jyotirmay Barua asked the court to hear the version of the accused and the court allowed him to speak.

‘I was hit (in custody). I bled,’ Shahidul told the court. Then the general recording officer of the court sub-inspector Mahmudur Rahman told the court how could it be possible for the accused to speak up if he was hit on the face.

Shahidul said when was working at his home on Sunday night and the doorbell rang. ‘As I opened the door, a little girl appeared and asked whether I am Shahidul. Then a group people dashed into my flat and whisked me off to the lift and then got me on a microbus,’ he said.

Shahidul they kept him handcuffed him all the night and hurled abusive words. Few of them also quizzed him with dignity citing his international fame, Shahidul told the court.

When he was being taken from one court to another, Shahidul told the press that his captors had washed his blood-stained punjabi and then made him to wear it again. He was barefooted when he was produced before a court wrongly and the family members bought a rubber flip-flop for him.

As his counsel asked what happened to his shoes, he said he cannot say what happened to those as the DB men had whisked him off his flat onto a microbus.

An Sunday night, a band of plainclothes policemen picked up Shahidul from his residence at Dhanmondi in Bangladesh capital Dhaka.

Alam was detained hours after he had given an interview to Doha-based television channel Al Jazeera regarding on-going students movement.

‘Shahidul Alam has been brought to the office of the office of Detective Branch of Police for interrogation,’ Masudur Rahman, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said without giving any details.-New Age

(Justnews/ys/2300hr)