3 'bloggers' arrested

Detective Branch (DB) of Police late on Monday night arrested three ‘bloggers’ in the capital for allegedly making inflammatory postings on the internet on sensitive religious issues.

DB spokesman Masudur Rahman told bdnews24.com the bloggers were arrested from Dhaka’s Indira Road, Palashi and Monipuri Parha areas on Monday night.

Those arrested were identified as Subrata Adhikari Shuvo, Mashiur Rahman Biplob and Rasel Parvez.

DC Rahman said their laptop and personal computers were seized.

Meanwhile, friends and classmates alleged that one ‘Shuvo’, an MA student in Dhaka University’s Bangla department, was picked up from in front of his dormitory Monday night.

One of his friends, ‘Bishwajit’, has also filed a general diary (GD) at Shahbagh Police Station around the same time, the station’s Inspector (Investigation) MA Jalil said.

Shuvo’s classmate Abdur Rahim told bdnews24.com: “A white microbus came around 10:30pm Monday and picked Shuvo up from in front of Jagannath Hall.”

“Shuvo was called over phone and told to come at the hall gate. Two men spoke with him there and took him away with them,” Rahim said.

‘United Commercial Bank’ was written on the back of the microbus, but there was no logo, he said.

Asked to comment, DC Masudur Rahman said, “I don’t know anything about picking up someone or lodging of any GD.”

He said a press briefing on the arrest of the three youths would be held at the DB headquarters at Tuesday noon.

The government on Mar 13 had formed a committee to identify and take actions against those who make offensive statements against Islam and its Prophet Hazrat Muhammad (PBUH). The committee also opened an email account to receive allegations over such offensive statements.

According to Bangladesh Telecommunication Regulatory Commission (BTRC), there are at least 30 million internet users and 3.2 million facebook user in Bangladesh.