A Dhaka court on Tuesday sent Prothom Alo Senior Correspondent Rozina Islam to jail in a case filed against her under Bangladesh Penal Code and Official Secrets Act.
She was accused of taking photograph of some important official documents at the Secretariat.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Mohammad Jashim passed the order.
Earlier Inspector of Shahbagh Police Station Arifur Rahman Sardar produced her before the court with 5-day remand prayer.
However, the court set Thursday for hearing on bail petition of Rozina.
According to her husband Monirul Islam, Rozina was taken to court from Shahbagh police station around 8am on Tuesday following the filing of the case by the health ministry on Monday night.
After being confined to the room of PS to Health Division Secretary Lokman Hossain Miah, she was taken from the secretariat to Shahbagh Police Station around 8:30pm.
Dr Md Shibbir Ahmed Osmani, deputy secretary of the health division, filed the complaint with the Shahbagh Police Station. A case was filed against Rozina Islam under the Official Secrets Act.
According to the case, Rozina Islam went to the room of PS Md Saiful Islam Bhuiyan in his absence. He was at the health secretary’s room. At one stage, Rozina allegedly took some official documents with her and captured picture of some other documents, the complainant said.
Police constable Mizanur Rahman followed the incident and intervened. Later, additional secretary Kazi Zebunnessa Begum accompanied with other officials went to the spot. Zebunnesa Begum searched Rozina and recovered the documents. She also checked the mobile phone of the journalist and found pictures captured.
The complainant claimed that the documents taken and pictured by Rozina are highly sensitive and related to Covid-19 vaccine procurement deal with various countries. Disclosure of the content of the document may cast a negative impact on the vaccine purchasing negotiation, the complainant said.
However, Rozina Islam rejected the claim. She claimed that she went to the room for professional reason.
During hours of confinement, Rozina fell sick. The journalists of various newspapers and television channels tried to have a clarification from the health secretary who refused to make any comment. The journalists also protested the incident.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters' Forum (BSRF) and Bangladesh Health Reporters' Forum (BHRF) have decided not to cover a media call by the Health Ministry over Rozina Islam.
The family of Rozina Islam has pledged to file a case against the officials who reportedly harassed her at the Secretariat on Monday.
Her husband Monirul Islam Mithu told that they would file a counter case after Rozina’s bail hearing on Thursday.
“We have a nine-year-old daughter who always spends time with her mother. She is lonely now as her mother is in jail without doing anything illegal,” Mithu said.
“My expectations fully depend on the journalist community. Such an incident will create a crisis for the existence of whole journalist community. I will respectfully accept what the journalist community will decide to demand from the authorities,” he added.
“Rozina was assaulted and tortured and everyone saw the video footage of the incident,” Mithu told journalists at the Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Court premises on Tuesday.
“They (Health Ministry officials) harassed her physically. Her skin was scarred, and she also sustained bruises,” he further said.
“They pushed her down and tried to strangle her. While snatching her bag, they twisted her arm. She had a lot of things in her bag. They threw away the cash. Four persons, including a woman, were among those who attacked Rozina,” Mithu alleged.
