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An online news portal, Dainik Ajker Kantho, has been accused in a case over publishing “fake news” linking Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) leader Mirza Abbas to the attack on Inqilab Moncho Convenor Sharif Osman bin Hadi.
Mohammad Sadikur Rahman Bhuiyan, a member of the Dhaka Bar Association, filed the petition for a case on Sunday at the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jashita Islam, bdnews24.com reports.
The petition accuses the publication of disseminating of false and misleading information and breach of the electoral code of conduct. The petition accused the newspaper’s Facebook page admin and other unidentified associates as suspects in the act.
The court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) to investigate the allegation and submit a report.
The suspects are deliberately spreading “fake news” and maligning potential candidates’ characters with “false information” with the intention of influencing the election result and obtain illegal benefits from the candidates who have the potential to win the election, the petition alleges.
Osman Hadi, an independent election hopeful in the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar on Friday afternoon, a day after the announcement of the schedule for the national parliamentary polls.
The petition refers to the news report published by the news portal at 3:25pm on Friday with the headline “Osman Hadi shot by cadres of Mirza Abbas”, calling it completely false news.