Sunamganj’s Jhumon Das arrested in new DSA case
Jhumon Das Apon of Sunamganj – who in 2021 secured bail in a case filed over his Facebook post criticising Hefajat leader Mamunul Haque – has again been arrested in a new Digital Security Act (DSA) case.
Police arrested Jhumon from his house on Tuesday (30 August) for a Facebook status which reportedly disrupted communal harmony in the district.
"Jhumon Das has been arrested in a DSA case. SI Sumnur Rahman of Shalla police station filed the case," confirmed Aminul Islam, OC of Shalla police station, to The Business Standard.
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Earlier on Tuesday, the police arrested Jhumon from his house. He was detained at the police station for about 12 hours and after interrogation, the police made the arrest.
When contacted, Jhumon's brother Nupur Das said, "The police picked him up at around 11am yesterday claiming communal incitement.
"The police have been following him for the last two days. The law enforcers took his mobile and some of his Facebook posts were deleted as well," he added.
"When Jhumon's wife went to the police station yesterday evening, she was informed that he would be released after interrogation. But at midnight, she was told that her husband had been arrested in a new DSA case," Nupur said.
Apparently, Jhumon had shared a viral photo from his personal Facebook account which showed a mosque donation box kept inside a Hindu temple.
According to sources, the locals became very agitated after seeing Jhumon Das's post.
Earlier on 15 March, Hefazat-e-Islam Bangladesh arranged a rally named 'Shan-e-Risalat Sammelan' in Sunamganj's Dirai upazila, where its former Ameer Junaid Babunagari and joint secretary general Manunul Haque delivered sermons.
Following the rally, Jhumon Das posted a status on Facebook opining that Mamunul Haque's speech was disruptive to communal harmony, this was propagated as a derogatory comment against the Hefazat, and that led to mayhem in Noagaon village of Shalla upazila on 17 March.
During the mayhem, miscreants vandalised and looted about 90 Hindu houses.
Police detained Jhumon on 16 March to avoid a possible attack on the village, but the attempt went in vain. They showed Jhumon arrested under section 54 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and produced him before a Sunamganj court on 17 March that sent him to jail.
He remained in jail ever since. The incident caused a stir across the country. Thirty people were arrested in the next two days following the attack.
On 19 March, the Police Bureau of Investigation (PBI) arrested Shahidul Islam, the mastermind of the attack.
Jhumon Das filed bail petitions in the trial court seven times and once in the High Court. Following the rejection of bail pleas multiple times, he filed a fresh plea seeking bail from the High Court and secured bail, says the petitioner's lawyer.
Back in September 2021, Jhumon had secured one year bail from the High Court in a case under the Digital Security Act, was released from jail. The HC granted Jhumon Das bail after hearing his bail plea.
