Ganajagaran Mancha, others protest against journalist Probir Sikdar’s arrest

Ganajagaran Mancha has hit the streets in protest against the arrest of journalist Probir Sikdar.

Ain o Salish Kendra (ASK), Online Journalist Association of Bangladesh (OJAB) and several other organisations have also condemned his arrest.

The senior journalist was picked up by detectives on Sunday over a Facebook status.
 
Within hours, Sikdar was accused of libel in a case filed under the Information Communication and Technology Act at Faridpur.

Ganajagaran Mancha, the mass platform seeking maximum penalty for 1971 war criminals, took out a march at Shahbagh’s Prajanma Chattar at 5pm Monday.

Spokesperson Imran H Sarker announced the programme on Facebook at noon.
 
Meanwhile, the journalist was produced in a Faridpur court in the afternoon and ordered into prison. Police sought to question him in custody for 10 days. 
 
The case against Sarkar was filed at Kotwali Police Station at 11pm Sunday for ‘damaging the good name’ of LGRD Minister Khandker Mosharraf Hossain.
 

On Aug 10, Sikdar wrote a status titled ‘Those who are a threat to my life and will be responsible for my death’. 

“I clearly state that the persons listed below are dangerous to me and will have a hand in my death: 1. LGRD Minister Engineer Khandker Mosharraf Hossain MP, 2. Razakar Nula Musa aka Dr Moosa bin Shamsher, 3. Death-row convict and war criminal Bacchu Razakar aka Mawlana Abul Kalam Azad and his three followers – associates.”

Sikdar also wrote on Facebook that police did not let him file a general diary after he told them he had been receiving threats for his writings on the social media site.