The Detective Branch (DB) of police released DBC News channel’s special correspondent, Rajib Ghosh at Wednesday midnight but showed arrested journalist leader and the channel’s former chairman, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, in a murder case filed on August 26, 2024.
Additional Commissioner (DB) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DB) Shafiqul Islam gave this information at around 1:45 am on Thursday. He told Prothom Alo that Iqbal Sobhan was shown arrested in a murder case of Jatrabari Police Station. After interrogation, Rajib Ghosh was released on bond.
Earlier, DB chief Shafiqul Islam confirmed the information about taking Iqbal Sobhan to its office at around 3:30 pm on Wednesday.
At that time, he told Prothom Alo that an undesirable situation arose after Iqbal Sobhan went to the office in the afternoon. Upon receiving the news, he was brought to the DB office to avoid an undesirable situation. Another person was brought from there. They are talking to them.
DBC News sources said that Iqbal Sobhan was the chairman of the organization before the fall of the Awami League government on August 5, 2024. Later, he was forcibly removed from the position during the spate of mob attacks and forced resignations at more than 25 TV channels and national newspapers. Even then, he used to come and go to the organization occasionally.
On Wednesday, Iqbal Sobhan again came to the office around noon and claimed to be the chairman of DBC News. At one point, when he left the office around 3 pm, DB police members detained him. At that time, DB police members also took Rajib Ghosh.
In this regard, DBC News Assignment Editor Muktadir Anik told Prothom Alo that when Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury came to the office, he was not there. Later, when he came to the office around 2 pm, he saw him being taken away in a DB car. They also do not know anything clearly about why he was taken away.
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Regarding the taking of Rajib Ghosh, Muktadir Anik said, while taking him, the DB police members said that they were taking him to have tea with them. Nothing else. He was also taken from the road adjacent to the office.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmad spoke about the detention of Iqbal Sobhan after a meeting at the Secretariat on Wednesday afternoon. He said that if he has been detained, then necessary legal action is being taken because there is a specific allegation against him. The matter will be investigated according to the law.
The incident of journalist leader Iqbal Sobhan and journalist Rajib Ghosh being taken into custody by the DB police from their workplace has created concern and anger in the journalist community. Many people on social media are condemning the incident and demanding the release of the two journalists.
Iqbal Sobhan is the former president of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), editor of the Daily Observer and former chairman of DBC News.
Since the incident, discussions have started among journalists on the issue. In particular, colleagues are questioning the rationality of taking journalists into DB custody from their workplace without disclosing specific allegations. At the same time, there has been a demand for a clear statement about the position of the two journalists and the next steps against them.
Meanwhile, the Anti-Oppression Journalists Front has expressed strong condemnation and concern over the incident of taking Iqbal Sobhan into DB custody. At the same time, the organization has demanded his immediate release.
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In a statement on Wednesday, the organization’s convener, Akhtar Hossain, and member secretary, Sheikh Jamal, said, “The incident of detaining a senior journalist from his office without specific allegations is sad and unprecedented. This is a severe blow to the freedom of the media. At the same time, such incidents amount to a violation of fundamental rights and human rights.’
Meanwhile, the organization’s president, Tanjim Anwar, and general secretary, Baten Biplob, have expressed deep concern, anger and strong protest over the removal of Rajib Ghosh, the current vice-president of the Aviation and Tourism Journalists Forum of Bangladesh (ATJFB) and special correspondent of DBC News.
The Dhaka Reporters’ Unit (DRU) has expressed deep concern over the removal of Rajib Ghosh to the DB office. In a statement on Wednesday (November 4), the organization’s executive committee president, Abu Saleh Akon, and general secretary, Mainul Hasan Sohel, announced the initiative.