Mizanur Rahman Sohel, online editor of the daily Bhorer Kagoj, was released 10 hours after being taken from his home by detectives.
Sohel was also serving as the secretary of the Online Editors Alliance. After midnight, he was taken from his home in Dhaka’s North Badda. He was released on Wednesday morning.
After being freed, he told TIMES of Bangladesh, “I was taken from my home at midnight only to curtail freedom of speech and silence the media.”
According to his family, five to six persons identifying themselves as members of the Detective Branch (DB) entered his home. The operation was led by a DB officer named Ashraful.
Sohel’s wife, Sumaiya Sima, said the police officials could not show any warrant. They told her that the DB chief (Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam) wanted to speak with him and assured that he would be brought back home once the conversation was over.
However, despite repeated phone calls later to the officer named Ashraful, he did not answer.
When contacted, DB chief Shafiqul said, “At an event management programme, Sohel had mistakenly provided his mobile number on the invitation card. Based on that, he was taken to the DB office, and once Sohel realised his mistake, he was released to his wife’s custody through the leaders of his organisation.”
Earlier in the day, journalist Zulkarnain Saer shared in a Facebook post that Sohel was picked up from his Dhaka residence.
When Saer spoke with DB Chief Additional Commissioner Shafiqul Islam to verify the incident, Shafiqul confirmed the development, Saer wrote in his post.
Saer wrote, “When Mizanur Rahman was being taken away, a police officer named Ashraful informed Sohel’s wife ‘the DB chief wants to speak with him, and once the conversation is over, he will be brought back home’. However, questions arose as to why, after midnight, the DB chief was interested in taking a journalist from his residence for a discussion.”
