Gazipur student jailed in anti-terrorism case after 'derogatory remarks' against PM
Police say he was linked to a banned organisation.
A Gazipur court today (4 September) sent a college student to jail after police showed him arrested in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act following a social media video in which he criticised Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and government officials over high electricity bills.
Sifat Abdullah, 20, a student of Adamjee Cantonment College in Dhaka, was detained from his residence in the Gacha area of Gazipur Metropolitan City last night (3 September).
Gacha Police Station Officer-in-Charge Golam Rabbani confirmed the matter, saying police had acted according to the law and would take further steps as directed by the court.
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Police did not file a separate case against Sifat over the video. He was subsequently shown arrested in the Anti-Terrorism Act case and produced before the court.
According to police, they had received information suggesting that Sifat was linked to the activities of a banned organisation.
The detention followed a 1 minute 25 second video Sifat posted on his Facebook page on 2 September. In the video, he displayed two electricity bills showing monthly charges of Tk4,000 and Tk5,000 and made offensive remarks directed at government officials and the prime minister.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police Commissioner Mohammad Israil Howlader said police had reviewed the video and were investigating Sifat's activities.
His detention triggered tension at Gacha Police Station last night as supporters of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and BNP gathered there.
NCP supporters reportedly demanded his release, while Gazipur-4 Jamaat lawmaker Salahuddin Ayubi called for his immediate release.
In a Facebook post, Ayubi said the words used by Sifat might have been objectionable, but his complaint about electricity bills and the power situation reflected grievances shared by many people.
NCP central leader and former 11-party alliance candidate from Gazipur-2 Ali Naser Khan also questioned the decision to show Sifat as arrested in the Anti-Terrorism Act case.
