Amar Desh executive editor Syed Abdal Ahmad on Monday alleged that the government has taken all the measures to illegally stop the publication of the vernacular daily.“Though the government has not officially imposed a ban on the publication of Amdar Desh nor cancelled its declaration, it has taken all the measures, including closing down the press illegally, so that the daily can’t be published,” he said while addressing a press conference at the National Press Club.
The press conference was arranged following the arrest of Amar Desh acting editor Mahmudur Rahman, sealing off its press and barring printing of the daily at another press.
Syed Abdal said the authorities took alternative initiative to publish Amar Desh from Al-Falah Printing Press after police sealed off its press on April 11 and the Deputy Commission of Dhaka was informed in this regard.
“Though the paper was published on April 12 and 13, police in a raid on the Al-Falah Press stopped the publication of Amar Desh seizing its printed copies on the night of April 13,” he said, adding that police also picked up 19 journalists working there and filed a case against Mahmuda Begum, 74-year-old mother of Mahmudur Rahman, and Sangram Editor and Al-Falah Printing Press keeper Abul Asad.
The Amar Desh executive editor also alleged that they came to know from competent sources that Mahmudur Rahman is being tortured in the name of interrogation at the Detective Branch of police Minto Road office.
Addressing on the occasion, Amar Desh lawyer Masud Talukdar said the publication of the daily will remain temporarily suspended.
He alleged that the government has committed a contempt of court charge by sealing off its press as there is a directive of the Supreme Court allowing the daily to continue its publication. ‘We’ll inform the court of the
matter.”
Police arrested Mahmudur Rahman from his Karwanbazar office on charge of sedition on April 11. Later, he was taken on a 13-day remand in three cases.
Later in the night, police raided the press of the vernacular daily in the city’s Tejgaon area and sealed off it.UNB
