Shafik Rehman arrested
Arifur Rahman RabbiNoted journalist, opinionmaker and former editor of the daily Jaijaidin, has been picked up by plainclothesmen. Best known for his incisive criticism of the government during General Ershad’s dictatorship through in his weekly column, Shafik Rehman has come to be known as a sympathiser and an informal adviser of the main political opposition BNP.
Claiming to be police detectives, Detective Branch personnel arrested Shafik Rehman from his house in Dhaka’s Eskaton. Head of Dhaka DB’s south zone, Masrukur Rahman Khalid, told the Dhaka Tribune that Shafik was arrested for plotting to abduct and murder Sajeeb Wazed Joy, son of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Joy is also a prime ministerial adviser for ICT affairs.
The case was filed by DB Inspector Fazlur Rahman with the Paltan police in August, 2015. The inspector had named BNP's cultural wing JaSaS Vice-President Mohammad Ullah Mamun and a number of unidentified BNP leaders. A US court sentenced JaSaS leader Mamun's son Rizve Ahmed Caesar on March 4, 2015 for his involvement in bribery scheme to obtain confidential information from a former FBI special agent in New York.
Maruf Hossain, another deputy commissioner of the police confirmed Rehman’s arrest at a briefing at the DMP media centre. He had also told the media that the BNP-leaning intellectual had been arrested for sedition.
Shafik Rehman’s wife Taleya said three to four people introducing themselves, first as journalists of Boishakhi Television, had come to their house to interview Shafik around 7:30am. She said her husband was asleep then, but went down when whe awoke him. “They claimed to be DB men when we went down to meet them.” Taleya said the plainclothesmen had been rough with her household staff and pushed them around and also scolded them."Later we heard that Shafik was arrested in a case filed with Paltan police station."
Sajib Onafis, assistant editor of Mouchakay Dheel magazine, said Rehman's wife Taleya got a call from the DB office hours after the journalist was picked up by the plainclothesmen. "The DB officials informed Taleya that Rehman was feeling sick and asked them to come to the DB office with his medicines," Sajib quoted Taleya. When Taleya and Sajib went to the DB office, reception staffs accepted the medicines and foods but they were not allowed to meet the detained journalist. Rehman is likely to be produced before Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court on Satirday afternoon.
Shafik Rehman lost his editorship of Jaijaidin in 2008 for his stand against a military-backed government. He has presented many talk shows including Lal Golap (Red Rose) on Bangladesh Television.
See also Who is Shafik Rehman?
See also Why was Shafik Rehman Arrested?
By arrangement with the Dhaka Tribune