Photographer and activist Shahidul Alam taken to hospital

Photographer and activist Shahidul Alam has been taken to a hospital from the DB custody following a High Court order.

Staff Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 8 August 2018, 05:27 AM
Updated : 8 August 2018, 07:29 AM

Alam, 63, has been taken to Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University around 9am on Wednesday, according to Abdul Baten, additional commissioner of DB police.

On Tuesday, the High Court ordered a quick transfer of Alam to hospital for treatment from the DB custody. He was arrested in an ICT case.

The court passed the order in response to a writ petition filed by his wife Rahnuma Ahmed.

Besides, it asked the BSMMU to report on Alam's physical condition by Thursday.

The Drik Gallery founder was accused in the ICT case of attempting to spread ‘fear and panic’ over the internet with ‘fantastical and provocative lies’.

On Monday, the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate’s Court placed Alam in police custody for seven days of questioning.

Alam, who is also the founder of Pathshala South Asian Media Institute, is also involved in the human rights movement.

He streamed videos on Facebook Live discussing the clashes in the Jigatala area amid student protests for road safety on Saturday and Sunday.

He also criticised the government during an interview with Al Jazeera. On Sunday night, his family told the media that he had been taken by the DB police from his home in Dhanmondi.