Rangamati journo gets bail in DSA case
A Rangamati court has granted bail to journalist Fazle Elahi hours after he was arrested in a case filed under the Digital Security Act (DSA).
Rangamati District and Sessions Judge Fatema Begum Mukta passed the order following a hearing at around 1:30pm on Wednesday.
Elahi was brought to court earlier this morning (8 June), confirmed his lawyer Muktar Hossain.
Police arrested him on late Tuesday in a case filed with the Chattogram Cyber Tribunal back in 2021.
Former reserved seat MP and Mohila Awami League leader Firoza Begum Chinu's daughter Naznin Anwar Nipun brought the charges against the journo over a report published in Pahar24.com.
Fazle Elahi is the Rangamati district correspondent of the national daily Kalerkontha and private television channel NTV.
Moreover, he is also the editor of local Daily Parbotto Chattogram and Pahar24.com.
Speaking with The Business Standard, his wife Selina Sultana Sumi said, "The court has granted interim bail of seven days to my husband.
"However, he has been instructed to appear before the cyber tribunal during this period."
"My husband had published a report last year which shed light on former lawmaker Chinu leasing a restaurant at the Rangamti DC Park.
"Suddenly yesterday the police came and informed us that there is a warrant against Elahi in a case filed by her daughter. Then they arrested him. The whole thing took us by surprise," she added.
According to sources, in 2017, Nipun, the eldest daughter of Chinu, claimed ownership of the DC park restaurant. She even filed four cases against the Rangamati deputy commissioner out of vengeance.
The news was published in various newspapers of the country including the news portals run by Elahi.
Contacted, former Rangamati DC, now joint secretary at Food Ministry, AKM Mamunur Rashid, said, "They [Chinu and her daughter] wanted to illegally occupy the park's land.
"The case has been filed against Elahi for writing about their irregularities. They even filed four cases against me."
