Consult before recording case under Sec 57: IGP

Inspector general of police AKM Shahidul Hoque on Wednesday asked all units of the police to consult law wing at the police headquarters before recording any case under the Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technology Act.
In the instructions, he asked all police units to be more cautious in recording such cases and to examine the authenticity of the complaint if there was any doubt so that no innocent person might be harassed, said a police headquarters release.
The instruction came just a day after .a journalist of a local daily in Khulna was arrested in a case filed under the Section 57, which sparked protests in social media. 
A Khulna court on Wednesday granted bail to journalist Abdul Latif Morol in the case filed under the Section 57 after he had shared a news report which stated that a goat died few hours after it was handed over by a minister to a resident at Dumuria in Khulna.
Senior judicial magistrate Nusrat Jabin granted bail to Abdul Latif Morol, 50, reporter at Khulna-based Daily Prabaha, till submission of the police report.
Dumuria police officer-in-charge Sukumar Biswas was withdrawn and attached to Khulna police lines on Wednesday as Latif’s arrest within few hours of the filing of the case drew widespread criticism.
The journalist was released in the evening and thanked his colleagues for support. 
Earlier on Tuesday, he was sent to jail by the same court keeping pending th hearing of his petition for bail.
Dumuria police arrested Latif at his house at about 2:30am on Tuesday after the case was filed at about 9:25pm on Monday.
Subrata Kuman Fouzdar, also a Dumuria correspondent of Jessore-based Daily Spandan, edited by Awami League lawmaker Sheikh Afil Uddin, filed the case against Abdul Latif. 
Subrata told New Age that the news was correct but Latif could ‘use the photo of dead goat instead of the minister’ with the report.
Asked why Abdul Latif was sued instead of news managers of breakingnews.com.bd who posted the report online, Subrata said that Abdul Latif was warned earlier for his ‘anti-state post’ and he filed this case as the warning did not work. 
Different quarters, including rights activists, journalists, editors, publishers and owners of newspapers and television channels and civil society members, continued demanding immediate repeal of the Section 57 saying that it was hindering the freedom of speech and expression guaranteed by the constitution. 

News Courtesy: www.newagebd.net