Bangladesh tribunal acquits three of charges of hurting religious sentiment in book

A tribunal has acquitted the writer, publisher and printer of charges of hurting religious sentiment in a book, ‘Islam Bitorko’.

Bangladesh Cyber Tribunal Judge Mohammad As-Shams Joglul Hossain delivered the verdict on Thursday.

The three acquitted in the case are writer Ba-Dwip Prokason owner and editor of the book Shamsuzzoha Manik, 77, Shamsul Alam Chanchal, 58, and Shabdokoli Printers owner Taslimuddin Kajol, 60. Alam and Manik are brothers.

“The main goal of the case was to harass us. The verdict has proved that the reactionaries launched the evil bid to stop free-thinking and independent, neutral writing by using the state machineries,” Manik said in immediate reaction to the verdict.

The cyber tribunal heard the case as Sub-Inspector Md Masud Rana started it at Shahbagh Police Station under the ICT Act citing that the book was also published on a website, bangarashtra.org,      

Police seized the copies of ‘Islam Bitorko’ from the Ba-Dwip Prokashon stall at the Amar Ekushey Book Fair in 2016 after a group of hardline Islamists criticised the book on social media. The stall was shut down as well.

Police later arrested and remanded the three accused of hurting religious sentiment. They got bail after several months.  

The law enforcers arrested Alam at the police station when he went to file a general diary over death threats, but the police told the court that he was arrested at the book fair, according to defence lawyer Parvez Hashem.

Inspector Zafar Ali Biswas charged the three accused in the tribunal after six months of investigation, but he skipped 16 dates set to record his statement.

A witness named on the list of seizures said he did not what were on it while another said she did not know her name was on it.

During cross-examination, plaintiff Rana said he did not have any training on ICT.