Rezanur Islam, the acting editor of the Daily Agrajatra Pratidin, was sent to jail on Friday after being arrested in connection with a case filed over news reports regarding the alleged corruption of the State Minister for Local Government, Rural Development and Co-operatives, Mir Shahe Alam.
Islam, 40, was apprehended by a team of Bogura Detective Branch (DB) police at approximately 11pm on Thursday from the Board Bazar area in Gacha Upazila, Gazipur.
Bogura Additional Superintendent of Police (Media) Ataur Rahman confirmed that the journalist was produced before a court on Friday afternoon and subsequently ordered to be sent to jail.
The case was initiated on 15 June by Tanvir Alam Rimon, the treasurer of Bogura Press Club and Northern Correspondent of The New Nation.
The complaint names six individuals from the Daily Agrajatra Pratidin – Publisher and Editor Mehedi Hasan, Acting Editor Rezanur Islam, News Editor Ashraf Ali Faruqi, Reporter Saleh Kaiser, Bogura Reporter Md. Shams, and Bogura District Representative Sabbir Hasan.
According to the case statement, the accused allegedly published and circulated “false, fabricated, and misleading” information intended to damage the personal, social, and political reputation of the state minister, who is the lawmaker for Bogura-2 (Shibganj) constituency.
The plaintiff specifically cited a social media post from 12 June titled, “State Minister Mir Shahe Alam, gives advice to journalists claiming to have been a journalist himself,” which reportedly distorted Alam’s speech during a press conference at the Bogura Press Club.
The complaint further alleged that provocative and defamatory remarks were spread on 13 June regarding the state minister in connection with the prime minister’s tour.
Following a preliminary hearing, Senior Judicial Magistrate Mehedi Hasan directed the Bogura Sadar Police Station to record the matter as a First Information Report (FIR).
The case has been registered under sections 500, 501, 504, and 109 of the Penal Code, as well as various provisions of the Cyber Security Act 2026.
Bogura DB OC Iqbal Bahar and the investigation officer, SI Rahmatullah Manik, said police operations are continuing to apprehend the other five accused individuals named in the case.
State minister’s statement
In a statement regarding the incident, State Minister Mir Shahe Alam expressed sorrow over the situation involving the four staff of Daily Agrajatra Pratidin.
He clarified that he had not authorised or directed any legal action to be taken on his behalf and requested that no one take personal initiatives to file cases or issue statements using his name without his approval.
Alam expressed hope for a peaceful solution through mutual discussion and legal processes, leading to the “quick release” of the arrested journalist.
Noting that the plaintiff is also a journalist, he urged both sides of the profession to exercise restraint to avoid misunderstandings or tension. He further requested that journalists verify information neutrally before publication.
