DHAKA – Bangladesh authorities have arrested a top human rights activist on charges of misleading people by disseminating “false information” about the police crackdown against ultra fundamentalist Hefazat-e-Islam members in May.
Adilur Rahman Khan Shuvro, secretary of Odhikar group, is allegedly linked closely with the right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, and was arrested under the Information and Technology Act last night.
“He has been arrested under the Information and Communication Technology Act,” a police spokesman today said, adding Detective Branch officials picked him up from his residence at up market Gulshan area here.
A Dhaka court today ordered Shuvro to be remanded in custody for five days rejecting his bail plea after he was produced before metropolitan magistrate Amit Kumar Dey.
“It is an offence to be involved with such campaigns that damage the image of the country to the world. Hijacking the rights of others in the name of human rights is not acceptable to anybody,” Home Minister MK Alamgir told mediapersons at a briefing at his office.
He added there was “no scope to excuse such an offence” and Shuvro and others must face legal action for such offences.
Earlier, joint commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police Monirul Islam said Shuvo was arrested as the Odhikar website also carried “distorted pictures” of so called slain Islamists using a photoshop software for their “imaginary” claim of 61 persons killed in the police action.
