ZCZC
BSS-30
REPORT-PROBE-DSA-SAMI
Police files probe report in DSA case against Sami, others
DHAKA, June 13, 2021 (BSS) – Police today filed their investigation report in a case lodged under Digital Security Act (DSA) against 11 people including Zulkarnain Shayer Khan alias Sami, who appeared on a allegedly false and politically motivated documentary of Al Jazeera.
Sub-inspecctor Afsar Ahmed of investigation agency Counter Terrorism and Transnational Crimes (CTTC) filed the report with Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court.
The CTTC in their report found involvement of Zulkarnain Shayer Khan alias Sami, cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Rashtrachinta coordinator Didarul Bhuiyan, former director of Dhaka Stock Exchange Minhaj Mannan, Netranews editor Tasnim Khalil, Ashik Imran and Swapan Wahid.
Police pleaded to drop names of other four accused writer Mushtak Ahmed, journalist Sahed Alam, blogger Asif Mohiuddin, and Philip Shumakher from the charge-sheet as they found no evidence in support of the allegations against them.
Judge Ash Shams Jaglul Hossain of Bangladesh Cyber Tribunal on February 10 had ordered the CTTC unit to further investigate the case and submit the report.
The court had come up with the order, allowing a prosecution plea to further investigate the case. The prosecution on February 9 had filed a naraji (no-confidence) petition against the charge-sheet for dropping names of eight accused including Sami.
Earlier on January 13, police had filed the charge-sheet against cartoonist Ahmed Kabir Kishore, Rashtrachinta coordinator Didarul Bhuiyan and writer Mushtak Ahmed.
Police, however, had excluded the names of eight accused Minhaj Mannan, Tasnim Khalil, Sahed Alam, Asif Mohiuddin, Sami, Ashik Imran, Swapan Wahid and Philip Shumakher from the charge-sheet.
The investigation officer pleaded to acquit them of the charges, saying the allegations brought against them were not proved.
RAB filed the case against 11 persons on May 5, 2020, on the charges of spreading anti-state falsehood to tarnish the image of Bangladesh and create confusion from a Facebook page.
BSS/CORR/MHR/QC/1835 HRS