Journo held in 'false' case in Rajshahi
Police in Durgapur upazila yesterday arrested a local journalist, allegedly implicating him in a false robbery case.
He was implicated in the false case for his reports on alleged bribery by police and being a witness to one incident of wrongdoing by police, family members of the journalist claimed.
Plainclothes policemen beat and dragged Rabiul Islam, Durgapur correspondent of local Bangla daily Sunshine, from his house and took him to the police station, his mother Hajera Begum told newsmen after the incident.
Police also assaulted her as she asked them the reason for his arrest, she said.
Rabiul was harassed by police earlier also as he reported their anomalies and wrongdoings between June last year and February this year, other sources claimed.
“A series of reports on alleged wrongdoing by local police were published in the daily”, said a senior journalist of Sunshine.
An officer-in-charge (OC) and a sub inspector (SI) was transferred from the police station recently after Rabiul's reports. One of the reports said police released an accused in a woman repression case in exchange of bribe, the journalist said.
The OC Ishaq Ali and SI Khabir were transferred and a departmental case was lodged against Khabir. Rabiul was one of the witnesses in the case.
Krishna Sarker, officer-in-charge of Durgapur police station, however denied the allegation that Rabiul was taken to custody for his reports. The OC told newsmen yesterday that Rabuil was held after an arrested accused in a robbery case named him (Rabiul) in his judicial statement.
Rabiul's mother told newsmen that the arrested accused later retracted his statement in court. The accused told the court late that he was tortured to make a statement against Rabiul. “Even the plaintiff of the robbery case termed Rabiul as innocent”, Hajera Begum said.
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