Published :
12 Apr 2013, 12:30 PM
Updated :
09 Aug 2022, 10:30 AM
Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Deputy Commissioner (Media) Masudur Rahman had told bdnews24.com on Friday they had filed a lawsuit against Rahman for alleged use of distorted pictures involving the Ghilaf of the Ka’aba and its Grand Mufti in reports carried by the newspaper.
He had said the case was filed at the Tejgaon Police Station under Section 57 of the Information & Communications Technology Act, 2006.
When contacted, Tejgaon’s Officer in-Charge Apurba Hasan said a General Diary had been filed against Rahman.
“The GD was filed on Thursday night for hurting religious sentiments. The matter is being investigated,” he told bdnews24.com.
OC Hasan said a case would be filed if the allegation was found to be true.
On Dec 6 last year, pro-BNP Amar Desh and pro-Jamaat-e-Islami Dainik Sangram ran news about Imams forming a ‘human chain’ at the Ka’aba in Mecca to protest the persecution of ‘Alems’ (Islamic scholars) in Bangladesh.
The report turned out to be a hoax.
Faced with massive protests in the social media, both newspapers removed the report from their online versions. The Jamaat mouthpiece Sangram even issued a public apology.
Social networks and blogs said the picture was actually one of the Ka’aba's Ghilaf being changed.
After arrest of the four bloggers on Apr 4, Law Minister Shafique Ahmed and Home Minister MK Alamgir said the misrepresentations of facts would be acted against.
Mahmudur Rahman was arrested from Amar Desh office on Thursday on sedition charges and unlawfully publishing an alleged Skype conversation of a former Chairman of the International Crimes Tribunal.
A Dhaka court later granted police 13 days to quiz Rahman.
Charges have been brought against him under Articles 57 and 58 of the Cyber Crime and ICT Act-2006 and Section 124(a) of the Bangladesh Penal Code for sedition.
Sub-section (1) and (2) of Section 57 of the ICT Act specifies punishment for ‘publishing fake, obscene or defaming information in electronic form’.
Sub-section (1) says, “If any person deliberately publishes... any material which is fake and obscene (and) creates possibility to deteriorate law and order or hurt or may hurt religious belief or instigate against any person or organization, then this activity of his will be regarded as an offence.”
While sub-section (2) says, “Whoever commits offence under sub-section (1) of this section he shall be punishable with imprisonment for a term which may extend to ten years and with fine which may extend to Taka one crore.”
Secular groups allege Rahman is the moving force behind whipping up religious passion against bloggers and online activists leading the Shahbagh's Ganajagaran Mancha who have been demanding maximum penalty for convicted war criminals and banning the Jamaat. The Mancha had even deadlined the government for arresting Rahman.
On Feb 23, Mahmudur Rahman was implicated in five cases filed by Ramna and Shahbagh police stations, in which he has been accused of whipping up religious passions and incitement to cause public disorder.
They said Mahmudur Rahman is the moving force behind the disinformation campaign against the bloggers and online activists leading Shahbagh's Ganajagaran Mancha.
On Feb 22, Amar Desh’s lead news headline, roughly translated into English, read, “Bloggers committing contempt of religion and court”.
