Police press charges against photojournalist Kajol in Digital Security case

Published at 02:40 pm February 8th, 2021

FILE PHOTO: Photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol is greeted by his son Monorom Polok after coming out of Dhaka Central Jail on Friday, December 25, 2020 Collected

Charge-sheet in case by an Awami League activist filed with a Dhaka court

Investigators have pressed charges against photojournalist Shafiqul Islam Kajol in a case filed under the Digital Security Act with Dhaka’s Hazaribagh police station.

The Detective Branch filed the charge-sheet with the court of Dhaka’s Chief Metropolitan Magistrate on February 4, Kajol’s lawyer Md Jahedur Rahman told Dhaka Tribune.

The case in question was filed on March 10 last year by one Usmin Ara Beli, a member of the central committee of the Bangladesh Jubo Mohila League.

Kajol has been named in two other similar cases filed with the capital’s Sher-e-Bangla Nagar and Kamrangirchar police stations.

After spending seven months behind bars, Kajol walked out of jail on December 25 last year after securing bail from the High Court in the three cases.

Kajol, who had previously worked as a photojournalist for such national dailies as Daily Samakal and Daily Bonik Barta, is the editor of the fortnightly magazine Pokkhokal.

On March 9 last year, he was named in a Digital Security case filed by Magura-1 MP Saifuzzaman Shikhor over a report on individuals ‘involved’ in the disgraced ruling party operative Shamima Noor Papia’s alleged escort services out of The Westin Dhaka.

He was made co-accused with Daily Manab Zamin Editor Matiur Rahman Chowdhury, Manab Zamin reporter Al Amin and 29 other Facebook users who commented on or shared the report.

Two more Digital Security cases were started with the Hazaribagh and Kamrangirchar police stations on March 10 and 11.

Kajol remained missing for about two months following the filing of the cases. His family filed a general diary with the police on March 12 as they were unable to reach him after he left his home in Dhaka’s Bakshibazar on March 10.

After a 53-day disappearance, he turned up in police custody on May 3 after the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) arrested him on charges of trespassing at Benapole border in Jessore.

Since then Kajol had been in jail until he was released on bail in December last year.