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A case was filed against Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams under the Digital Security Act (DSA) on Wednesday afternoon, around 10 hours after he was picked up by CID members from his Savar residence.
Auporbo Hasan, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon police station, said Golam Kibria, a resident of the capital’s Mirpur area, filed the case accusing the journalist of publishing a fake and fabricated news on the country’s Independence Day, reports UNB.
Besides, some unnamed individuals were made accused in the case, the OC said.
According to the case statement, the plaintiff read a news on the website of the Prothom Alo while he was browsing internet in front of Al Raji Hospital in Farmgate area around 1:32am on Wednesday. The news was also shared on its Facebook page.
The report was published with a photo of a child holding flowers in hands in front of the National Mausoleum at Savar, said the case statement.
The report said that the boy’s name is Jakir Hossain and he said, “What will I do with independence if I don’t have rice to eat? I sweat when I go to market, we need freedom of fish, meat and rice.”
The news reported by Samsuzzaman went viral on social media which tarnished the image of the country and triggered criticism at home and abroad, said the case statement.
Though the boy was named as Jakir Hossain in the Prothom Alo report, private television channel Ekattor.tv in an investigation found that the boy’s actual name is Sabju Ahmed and he is a class three student, it said.
The Ekattor Tv report said that the boy did not say anything like “What will I do with the independence if I don’t have rice to eat? And the reporter took his photo after giving him Tk 10.”
The plaintiff said the Prothom Alo report, which used fake name and quotes, was motivated.
He said like him many others at home and abroad were aggrieved by report the it tarnished the image of the country.
Moreover, there was a possibility of deterioration in law-and-order situation in the country over the matter, the case statement said.
Earlier Samsuzzaman Shams was picked up by CID members from his Savar residence around 4:00 am on Wednesday.
Home Minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal at an event in the capital on Wednesday noon said the CID arrested him in a case but he could not mention in which case he was arrested.