14 December 2019, Sat, 8:09

Daily Sangram’s editor taken into 3-day police remand; Jamaat Ameer demands immediate release

Bangladesh Jamaa-e-Islami’s Ameer Dr. Shafiqur Rahman has issued the following statement on 14 December 2019 expressing his shock and concern as a false case has been filed and 3-day remand has been granted against Abul Asad, the veteran editor of Bengali National Daily ‘Sangram’.

On 13 December, some miscreants attacked the office of Bengali daily ‘Sangram’ and vandalized the office infrastructure and furniture severely. They harassed the veteran editor of the daily Abul Asad, physically. The countrymen expected that the government would take some legal measures against the attackers. But instead of doing so, this aged man was forced to sit down whole night in the police station. Later, a false case was filed against him and he was taken into 3-day police remand. Such move of the government has hurt the countrymen. The people are genuinely shocked and frustrated over the incident.

Bangladesh is a democratic country. Our constitution guarantees freedom of speech. As such, we want to assert that, such an example of oppression and torture against the media and the journalist communities, will not bring positive result for anybody.

Through the social media and various other dailies and video footages, the countrymen saw the brutal activities of vandalism by such miscreants in Daily Sangram office and their subsequent harassment against the editor of the daily. Though a judicial system is prevailing in the country, these youths have violated the law. The authority should take punitive measures against them. But they denied doing so. As a result, the attackers became more encouraged and indulged. We are deeply worried over the government’s initiatives.

We are urging the concerned authorities to cancel the remand of Abul Asad and to release him immediately. We are also calling upon them to take legal measures against the attackers, who have vandalized the office of daily Sangram.