A college student has been arrested under the Anti-Terrorism Act and forwarded to court in Gazipur on charges of defaming Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and spreading anti-state propaganda on social media.
The accused, Sifat Abdullah, a student of Adamjee Cantonment College in Dhaka, was sent to court on Friday afternoon. He had been detained the previous night, Thursday, at approximately 8:30pm during a police raid in the Gacha area of Gazipur.
Gacha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Golam Robbani said that Sifat was arrested following allegations of anti-state propaganda on social media and suspected links to the banned organisation, the Awami League. Legal action was subsequently initiated against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
According to police and local sources, Sifat had been posting offensive statements and writings on social media targeting Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and government officials for some time.
The immediate trigger for his arrest was a one-minute and 24-second video he uploaded to Facebook on Thursday, in which he was reportedly seen using abusive language towards the prime minister and government associates.
In the video, Sifat showed two electricity bills, claiming he had received an excessive charge of Tk4,000 for the current month and Tk5,000 for the previous month. After the video went viral, local Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) activists reported the matter to Gacha Police Station, prompting Sifat’s arrest later that night.
OC Golam Robbani noted that the police have not yet verified whether Sifat had any genuine issue regarding his electricity bills or any personal dispute that prompted his remarks.
However, the officer emphasised that Sifat faces serious allegations of engaging in anti-state propaganda and unethical activities.
Meanwhile, the National Citizen Party (NCP) and its affiliate organisations have claimed Sifat as their worker and a social activist, demanding his immediate release.
Following the arrest on Thursday night, Abdullah Al Muhim, the Member Secretary of the NCP’s Gazipur Metropolitan unit, visited the police station. NCP leaders have strongly condemned the filing of a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act over derogatory remarks.
