Probir Sikdar released on bail amid protests [ Tritiyo Matra News ]

Probir Sikdar released on bail amid protests

Local August 20, 2015

Journalist Probir Sikdar was released from jail on bail granted by a Faridpur court on Wednesday in a case filed under the Information and Communication Technologies Act.
Rights groups and journalist community had been staging protests in the capital and elsewhere demanding his immediate release and unconditional withdrawal of the case since his arrest on Sunday.
New Age correspondent in Faridpur reported that senior judicial magistrate Md Hamidul Islam granted
the bail at about 11:30am after hearing a petition moved by Probir’s lawyer Ali Ashraf.
Later, at about 2:00pm, Prabir was released from Faridpur jail.
The persecution did not oppose the bail prayer.
The same court on Tuesday remanded the journalist in police custody for three days for interrogation.
The court on Wednesday posted for September 22 the next hearing in the case.
Emerging from jai, Probir said, ‘I express gratitude to journalists, rights groups, professionals, Ganajagaran Mancha, blogger organisations for the way they took to the streets for my release.’
Asked about telephonic conversation with local government minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain, Probir’s wife Anita Sikder said that she neither called him nor received any phone call on her phone.
‘A police officer on the court premises in the morning gave me a mobile to talk with a person, who identified himself as minister Mosharraf Hossain and assured me of doing his best for the bail of Probir,’ she said.
‘I appreciated him and requested to pray for my husband…As the area was noisy, I could not hear all of his statements,’ she added.
Earlier on August 16, Probir was arrested by the Detective Branch of police at his Indira Road office in the capital hours after a Faridpur Awami League leader filed the case.
Plaintiff Swapan Kumar Paul in his complaint said that Probir in a posting on Facebook claimed to be under threat and that Khandaker Mosharraf Hossain, Moosa bin Shamser and condemned fugitive war crimes convict Abul Kalam Azad would be responsible if he was killed.
Swapan termed the allegation against the minister false, saying that the
journalist made the posting to tarnish the image of ‘the mass people’s leader.’
Journalist community, rights groups, different professional bodies and campaigners for war crimes trial took to the street after Probir’s arrest on Sunday. Since then protests continued across the country for his release.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists and Dhaka Union of Journalists faction observed a token hunger strike and held rally in front of the National Press Club on Wednesday. Speakers at the programme demanded unconditional withdrawal of the case.
The protesters also demanded repeal of Section 57 of the Information and Communication Technologies Act, under which Probir was prosecuted, saying that the section stipulated a vague offence making scope for the government to harass any people. The offence is also cognisable and non-bailable.
They also said that the section violated Article 39 of the constitution that guaranteed the right to freedom of expressions and the freedom of the press.
New Age correspondents from different districts, including Barisal and hapainawabgan,j reported that local journalists on Wednesday morning formed human chains and held protest rallies demanding unconditional withdrawal of the case against Probir.