Charges against journo Probir accepted

A Dhaka court yesterday took cognizance of the charges against journalist Probir Sikdar in a case filed under ICT act and fixed June 29 for hearing on charge framing against him.

Judge KM Shamsul Alam of the Cyber Tribunal passed the decision in presence of the veteran journalist, who is currently out of jail on bail.

The same court also granted Probir bail after he surrendered before it seeking bail.

Probir, 55, editor of the Daily Bangla 71 and a news portal, was arrested on August 16 last year after Faridpur Awami League leader Swapan Kumar Paul filed the case under the ICT Act over a Facebook post he made.

In the Facebook post dated August 10 Probir said his life was under threat and that now Local Government and Rural Development Minister Khandkar Mosharraf Hossain, businessman Moosa Bin Shamser and condemned fugitive war criminal Abul Kalam Azad would be responsible if he was killed.

Police produced the journalist before the court on August 17 and took him on remand for three days for libel against the minister, police sources said.

However, he was freed on bail two days later.

Later, a Faridpur court on April 19 this year accepted a charge sheet against journalist Probir Sikdar under the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act, 2006.