Eight sent to jail after remand over attack on Prothom Alo office

A Dhaka court today sent eight people to jail in a case filed over the vandalism and arson attack on the office of Prothom Alo in Dhaka's Kawran Bazar area on December 18 last year.

Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Raunak Jahan Taki passed the order after the Detective Branch (DB) of police produced the eight before the court on completion of remand in the case, said a sub-inspector at the court.

The eight include Naim Islam, 25; Saidur Rahman, 25; Abul Kashem, 33; Pranto Sikdar, 21; Raju Ahmed, 33; Sagar Islam, 37; Mohammad Jahangir, 28, and Mohammad Hasan, 22.

DB Sub-Inspector Tridip Barua said today that they took the eight accused in custody for interrogation, several hours after the remand order. The accused were produced before o the court after interrogation.

However, the investigator declined to speak in detail.

On December 22 last year, Prothom Alo authority filed a case with Tejgaon police station against 400-500 unidentified people over the attack at their office.

In the case, the complainant brought charges under the Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Special Powers Act and the Cyber Security Ordinance.

Besides, The Daily Star on December 22 last year filed a case with the same police station against 350-400 unidentified people under the Penal Code, the Anti-Terrorism Act, the Special Powers Act and the Cyber Security Ordinance over the attack at their head office in Dhaka.

Contacted, investigation officer Jahirul Islam, a DB Sub-Inspector, said, “In connection with the attack on the Prothom Alo office, 26 accused are currently in jail. Among them, those involved in the attack on The Daily Star office will be shown arrested in the case filed by The Daily Star.”