We are relieved to learn that Probir Sikder, a seasoned and well known journalist who was a freedom fighter and who lost several members of his family in the liberation war, is out on bail. As any law abiding citizen, Mr.Sikder has the right to lodge a general diary (GD) with the police for feeling a threat to his personal safety. Instead of registering his GD, the police arrested him and transported him to Faridupur. Whether his act of posting a status update on Facebook constituted defamation is subject to a judge's ruling but the haste with which he was placed on remand was perhaps due to the fact that he named a minister among others. 

We consider it to be a deliberate mistreatment of a journalist. And the manner in which he was incarcerated, produced in court in handcuffs and in shackles, even though he is physically challenged with only one leg, is outrageous. While it was the duty of the police to allay his fears of insecurity, the latter had detained him. This is yet another example of an attempt to harass journalists and we condemn it wholeheartedly. The message being sent out is that journalism has its limit and certain issues or powerful persons cannot be taken on any form without facing consequences.