Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman has filed a case against BNP Information and Technology Affairs Secretary AKM Wahiduzzaman Apollo and writer and columnist FM Rashedul Haque Mallik Maruf, alleging the spread of defamatory and false information on Facebook.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jewel Rana filed the case on Sunday.
Lawyer for the complainant, Barrister Tanvir Ahmed Al Amin, said the court recorded the complainant’s statement and kept the order pending.
According to the case statement, protests erupted across Dhaka and other parts of the country on the night of 18 December following news of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi.
The following night, 19 December, some individuals attacked the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star at Karwan Bazar, labelling the newspapers as “allies of fallen fascists”, which led to what the complaint described as an unfortunate and unwanted situation.
The complaint alleges that taking advantage of the situation, the accused and an opportunistic group engaged in a conspiracy against Mahmudur Rahman and his newspaper Amar Desh by spreading false information with the aim of creating instability, misleading the public and causing social disorder, while also damaging his social reputation.
It further alleges that at around 10:30pm on 19 December, Maruf Mallik posted what the complaint describes as false, fabricated, baseless, provocative and defamatory content on Facebook, linking Amar Desh and its editor to the attacks on Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
Wahiduzzaman Apollo is accused of supporting and circulating the post on Facebook by endorsing it with comments presented as logical questions.
The case was filed after Mahmudur Rahman became aware of the two Facebook posts while at the Amar Desh headquarters in Karwan Bazar.
