Kushtia daily Editor jailed for ignoring court order

Sakhawat ibn Moyeen Choudhury, Chief Editor of local daily Shikol, faced an extortion case, filed by a freedom fighter. He was arrested as he did not abide by an order to appear before the court, sources said.

According to court sources, one Munshi Nurul Islam, a freedom fighter, filed an extortion case against Sakhawat ibn Moyeen Choudhury on April 23.

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The sources claimed that Shakhwat on April 12 demanded Tk 20,000 from Nurul Islam, father of Munshi Tarikul Islam, Kushtia correspondent of ntv and daily Samakal published from Dhaka. The editor also threatened to publish a story in his paper against Nurul Islam that he was a fake freedom fighter.

As the freedom fighter declined to pay, the Shikol published a report on April 14 that he was a fake freedom. The news item also tried to brand his son journalist Munshi Tarikul Islam as an 'outlaw'.

Next day, the freedom fighter went to the editor and requested him to publish a rejoinder with documents that he was a freedom fighter.

The editor demanded Tk 20,000 for publishing a rejoinder and threatened to publish more defamatory news items for non-payment.

On April 23, freedom fighter Munshi Nurul Islam filed a case against Shikol Editor Sakhawat Ibn Moyeen Choudhury, publisher Hasina Sakhwat and one Shamsul Alam with Magistrate court.

The court ordered Sadar thana police to investigate the matter and submit a report.

Police after investigation submitted a report on November 27, accusing the three persons.

The curt on December 5 issued arrest warrant against the three persons and ordered attachment of their property. The Shikol editor evaded arrest.

On Tuesday, when the editor came to court to appear in another case which he filed against three other editors in Kushtia, police arrested him.

Yesterday, the court rejected his bail prayer and sent him to jail.

When contacted in the court compound yesterday, the Shikol editor told local journalists that the "whole thing is a conspiracy to throttle his newspaper".