3 journalists jailed over death in police custody report

Three journalists have been jailed by a court in the central town of Narsingdi over a case filed under the Digital Security Act accusing them of quoting a police official without contacting him.

The journalists are Ramjan Ali Pramanik, 45, news editor of local daily Dainik Grameen Darpan,

Shanto Banik, 35, a reporter of the newspaper, and Shawon Khandaker Shahin, 32, publisher and editor of web portal Narsingdi Pratidin.

Special Branch inspector of Narsingdi police, Jahangir Hossain, said the three were picked up from their houses last Friday morning.

The Daily Star newspaper reported that the case was filed by Inspector Johirul Alam, the officer in charge of the Ghorashal police outpost.

According to the case statement, the online version of

Dainik Grameen Darpan ran a report on Thursday under the headline “Youth beaten dead by police on charges of stealing” and Narsingdi Pratidin published a report headlined “Man dies in Ghorashal police custody; allegation made against police about beating him to death”.

Both the reports quoted comments of Inspector Johirul, but no reporters from those outlets contacted him, said the case statement.

Speaking to The Daily Star, Johirul said senior officers of the district police were angered by the publication of fabricated and baseless news with his comments.

“So, I filed the case against the three journalists under the Digital Security Act to protect my dignity.”

Meanwhile, Mazharul Parvez Monti, general secretary of Narsingdi Press Club, condemned the arrest of the three journalists.

Earlier, the family of an autorickshaw driver known only as Mannan had alleged that he was beaten to death by police on April 28.