Prothom Alo journalist’s whereabouts unknown after ‘detention by police’ over Independence Day report

According to a witness, police officers detained Samsuzzaman Shams, whose Independence Day story stirred a social media storm

The whereabouts of Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams have remained unknown for around 24 hours since his detention by people identified as police officers following the publication of his Independence Day story that kicked up a social media storm.

No law-enforcing agency commented on him after he was picked up from his home at Ambagan, a neighbourhood next to Jahangirnagar University in Savar, in the small hours of Wednesday.

Sudipta Shaheen, the chief security officer of Jahangirnagar University, said that the university proctor rang at 1am on Wednesday to inform him that a team from the Cyber Crimes Unit of police’s Criminal Investigation Department would be conducting an operation at the university and that he should let them in and cooperate with them.

Soon afterwards, an official with the rank of superintendent of police called Shaheen. The official asked him to identify the home of the university’s Assistant Registrar Umme Salma, the wife of Holey Artisan attack victim and police officer Rabiul Islam, Shams’s elder brother.

Shaheen said he went to the Ambagan area, and as it was time for Sehri, police officers took Shams to an eatery for the meal. There were a total of 14 people in the police team, Shaheen said.

He said he accompanied the police to the area because he was concerned that so many plainclothes police personnel in the area ‘could cause an issue’. He did not accompany them after they finished their meal.

Shaheen also said he knew a superintendent of police in the team. Another member of the team was a former student of the university who has become an additional SP, according to Shaheen.

Prothom Alo Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif confirmed the development on Wednesday morning. “We are taking the necessary action to address the issue," he said.

Savar Police Station chief Deepak Chandra Saha said he had “heard” reports of Shams’s detention but could not confirm it.

Md Imam Hasan, DIG of Dhaka Division CID, said, “Nothing of the sort has happened.”

Mohammad Ali Mia, additional IGP at the CID, did not respond to calls or SMS for comments.

CID spokesman Azad Rahman said in the afternoon he would look into the matter and speak later, but he did not take phone calls afterwards.

Journalists gathered in the Dhaka court area, but Shams was not taken there.

“What will we do with independence if there’s no food to fill our stomachs?” a person was quoted as saying on the Mar 26 online version of Prothom Alo. He indicated that people sweat over how to secure rice, meat and fish every day.

The report stirred controversy, especially on social media. Leaders of the ruling party criticised it too. Later, Prothom Alo edited the report and changed the headlines. They also removed the social media post.

Students demonstrated on the campus against the detention of Shams as journalist groups condemned the incident, demanding his immediate release, but police did not disclose where he had been taken to.

Amid criticisms and protests, Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan defended police action against Shams and hinted that he might be detained by the CID.

“If anyone is disgruntled and demands justice, the police will take the necessary measures. All I know is that a case has been filed in relation to the incident. Maybe that’s why the CID …,” he said, without completing his sentence.

Later, police said Shams was charged under the Digital Security Act for the Independence Day report.

Azimul Haque, a deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Tejgaon Division, said Shams is the only person named in the case that accused several other unidentified people.

“We haven’t got the accused yet. The case was transferred to the Criminal Investigation Department.”

Md Golam Kibria, general secretary of Jubo League’s ward-11 unit under Dhaka Metropolitan North, started the case against Shams at Tejgaon Police Station around 2:15am on Wednesday, hours before Shams’s detention.

Golam Kibria, known as SM Kibria alias Pias in his organisation, claimed his bringing charges had nothing to do with his affiliation with the ruling Awami League. Speaking to bdnews24.com, he said, “I filed the case having been agitated personally.”

Kibria alleged in the case that Shams and the other accused “tried to or supported crimes by publishing and circulating false and defamatory information that may cause deterioration of law and order”.

Korimon Nesa, the mother of Shams, demanded police return his son. She lost her husband in 2006 and her eldest son Rabiul to the 2016 terror attack.

“Is my son a thief or a robber? What are the charges against him?” she asked. “And why was he detained? He would’ve visited the police station had the law enforcers called him.”

[Writing in English by Osham-ul-Sufian Talukder]