Do not arrest or harass Prothom Alo editor, 5 others: High Court

The High Court on Sunday directed law enforcement agencies to not arrest or harass Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman and five others until the hearing on the bail pleas in a case filed over the death of a student. 

The court fixed Monday as the date for hearing on the bail pleas for the case filed over the death of Nayeemul Abrar Rahat, a student of Dhaka Residential Model College. 

Prothom Alo Deputy Editor Anisul Haque, Head of Event and Activation Kabir Bakul, senior assistant editor of Kishor Alo Mahitul Alam Pavel, and executives Shuvashish Pramanik Shuvo and Shah Paran Tushar are the five others.

The bench of Justice Obaidul Hasan and Justice Zahirul Hoque passed the order after all the accused appeared before the apex court seeking bail in the case. 

Lawyer Barrister M Amir-Ul Islam moved the bail petitions on behalf of the six accused.

On January 16, a Dhaka court issued arrest warrants against 10 people, including the editor and the deputy editor of the national Bangla daily.

On Saturday, police went to the house of Kabir Bakul at Moghbazar's Dilu road area with an arrest warrant, but he was not home at the time.

Meanwhile, 47 prominent citizens of the country have expressed concern over the issuance of arrest warrants.

Earlier on November 14 last year, a writ petition was filed demanding Tk10 crore in compensation and action against Prothom Alo in connection with the death of Abrar.

On November 3, a legal notice was served to Matiur Rahman, demanding compensation in this connection.

Nayeemul Abrar was electrocuted during an anniversary programme of Kishor Alo, a supplement of Prothom Alo for young readers, on the school premises on November 1.

The 14-year-old boy was taken to the Universal Medical College and Hospital in Mohakhali 45 minutes after the incident occurred, although the Shaheed Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital was on the opposite side of the event venue. 

Later, the boy was pronounced dead at 4:51 pm.