Mohammadi News Agency News – Features – Photo
Famous journalist Shafiq Rehman has been put under five days’ remand after arrest. DB police has captured him from residence at Iskaton Garden Road at around 8am in the morning on Saturday. Later he was shown arrested on a case of conspiracy to murder filed last year at Paltan Thana.
Police filed a General Diary (GD) during last year’s august month at Paltan Thana foor conspiracy to kidnap and murder the son and Information and Technology Advisor of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, Sajib Wazed Joy. Later that Gd turned into a police case and Shafiq Rehman was shown arrested on that case.
It is said that, the conspiracy to kidnap and kill joy was plotted at New York. There was a case at New York in this matter and the case was resolved there. Rizvi Ahmed Ceaser, son of a BNP leader at New York was sentenced to a 42 month jail as the Court there declared their judgment. A friend of an FBI Agent was also sentenced to a 30 month jail for exchanging bribes on this case.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman khan Kamal yesterday told that, involvement of Shafiq Rehman was found in the conspiracy of kidnapping and murdering Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s son Sajib Wazed Joy. He also added, by checking the mobile phone’s call list, it was found that, the accused of that case had records of telephonic conversation with Shafiq rehman and Mahmudur Rahman. So, he has been arrested for interrogation.
Police admitted his arrest after half an hour of capturing him. He was presented at Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court at noon as Paltan Thana Police asked for seven days’ remand of Shafiq Rehman. Judge Mazharul Islam approved five days’ remand.
Wife of Shafiq Rehman, Executive Director of Non-government Development organization, Democracy Watch, Taleya Rehman told the journalists that, three members of DB Police came to the house introducing themselves as journalists from Baisahi Television. She was even slightly suspicious hearing the news of journalists’ arrival so early in the morning.
Caretaker of Shafiq Rehman’s residence, Abdul Matin Mollah told the journalists that, at first, two persons first knocked on the main gate of the house at 6am in the morning. Later another man came. They told that, they came from a television channel. They also told that, they came to take Mr. Shafiq rehman as he has a program on that channel.
Matin made the three visitors sit and wait at the ground floor of the three-storied building behind the main residence. As he informed Shafiq Rehman, who was at the third floor of the building, he asked Matin to entertain them with some tea and tea was served to them and they took tea and some food. As Shafiq Rehman was getting late in coming down and it was around 8am in the morning, they asked the cook of the house, Ali, to go upstairs with their visiting card. As Ali was moving upstairs, the three visitors followed him and reached the second floor of the building. At that time, Shafiq Rehman was also getting downstairs.
Abdul Matin said, as Shafiq Rehman reached the second floor, those three identified themselves as members of DB Police and brought Mr. Shafiq Rehman downstairs. At that time, cook Ali and Matin tried to restrain them but they ordered them to stop harshly identifying themselves as DB Police. Then they took Shafiq Rehman away by a microbus which was waiting outside of the residence at around 8am in the morning.
It was informed that, at around 10:30am in the morning, a telephone call came to Shafiq Rehman’s wife Taleya Rehman. She told the media that, from DB Office, it was asked to send breakfast and essential medicines for Shafiq Rehman. She added that, those were sent immediately. Mr. Shafiq Rehamn is suffering from physical problems due to excessive cholesterol and diabetics. At around 12 at noon, Taleya Rehman went to the DB Office at Minto Road.
Shafiq Rehman holds the residency of UK. His wife told the journalists that, British High Commission at Dhaka was informed about his arrest by DB Police.
Md. Mashrukur Rahman, DB’s Deputy Commissioner and the Investigation Monitoring Officer of the casetold that, DB Police is investigating te case of conspiracy to kidnap and kill Sajib Wazed Joy. Shafiq Rehman’s involvement was found in that. For this reason, he was arrested.
Before that, DMP’s Media and Mass Communication department’s Deputy Commissioner, Maruf Hossain Sarder told in the morning that, Shafiq Rehman was arrested on anti-state case. But at noon, he informed in a briefing at DMP Media Centre that, Shafiq Rehman was arrested on a case of criminal conspiracy. He added that, Shafiq Rehman once went to the United States in 2013. The investigating officer of the case came to know that, conspiracy to kidnap and murder Joy was made then. Case’s investigating officer, Sub-Inspector of Paltan Thana, Mozammel Haq found the involvement of Shafiq Rehman at a stage of interrogation of the witnesses. So, he was arrested. He also claimed that, Shafiq Rehman was not arrested by officers giving identity as journalists.
Information Minister, Hasanul Haq Inu told BBC Bangla last night that, as the incident of Sajib Wazed Joy’s kidnapping was leaked at US, several investigations took place home and abroad and few information is there in this matter. Bangladesh authority waited till now and checked and analyzed the whole subject. The authority presented Shafiq Rehman to the Court with thoughts of his involvement in this case. Though primary accuser did not give the name, investigating officer came to know many unknown information while investigating and on that basis, many involved personnel came in light, said the information minister.
In reply to a question that, from this incident, if the government will be accused of suppressing different opinions, the information minister said that if there was policy for suppressing different opinions in Bangladesh and media was not criticizing the government aloud, he would have accepted the allegation. He added that, the electronic and print media is loudly criticizing the government and they are tolerating those with a smiling face. In reply to a question related to the arrest and prolonged containment at jail of Journalist Showkat Mahmood and ‘Amar Desh’ Editor Mahmudur Rahman, Hasanul Haq Inu said that, it is not a matter of suppressing mass media’s right to criticize the government rather personal criminal activities related incident.
Shafiq Rehman is the former Publisher and Editor of the Daily Jai Jai Din. Currently he is the Editor of Weekly Mouchake Dhil. He is actively involved with bureaucratic affairs of leading opposition party, BNP. He has performed several roles for BNP for a long time.
In her reaction to the arrest of Shafiq Rehman, BNP Chairperson Khaleda Zia told in a statement that, illegal government has started war against the people now. Using the state as a machine, the government is arresting and torturing the famous journalists and editors by involving them in false framed cases.
Expressing her regret over the arrest, Khaleda Zia told that, Shafiq Rehman is never afraid to utter the truth and is a brave pen-warrior. That is why, he was arrested as he could not be made compromised and it is the expression of government’s utmost willfullness.
Hearing the news of his arrest BNP’s Senior Joint General Secretary, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi went to Shafiq Rehman’s residence at Eskaton. Later at a press briefing at Party Office of Nayapaltan, with a threat of strong programs and activities, he said that, it is not at all acceptable that, giving an identity of TV channel officials, some people will capture and take away a veteran journalist of the country. He expressed his feelings to the incident as a shameful one.
Rizvi also said that, if this type of incident is happening to people like Shafiq Rehman, then there cannot be any security for the mass people. He also expressed shame, grief and protest to this arrest.
BNP’s General Secretary, Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir, who is currently at Thakurgaon, told the local journalists that, Shafiq Rehman is an internationally famed journalist and there is not even any police case against him and he was taken away by DB Police in plain outfit. He also added that, this incident proves that, there is no liberty to speak freely in this country, there is no liberty to write freely in this country.
Protesting the arrest of Shafiq Rehman, a part of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalist (BFUJ) and a part of Dhaka Union of Journalist (DUJ) have given a joint statement. The statement says that, this incident expresses government’s intolerance towards different opinions and views.
