Case Filed Against Two Journalists for Publishing Reports on Immigration Irregularities

A case has been filed against two journalists for publishing reports about passenger harassment and irregularities at the Akhaura International Immigration Checkpoint in Brahmanbaria. The Immigration Police initiated the legal action.

The affected journalists are Md. Fazle Rabbi, Staff Reporter of *The Daily Jugantor* and General Secretary of Akhaura Press Club, and Md. Saddam Hossain, Akhaura correspondent for RTV and General Secretary of Akhaura Reporters’ Unity.

On Tuesday (August 12), Mohammad Abdus Sattar, the Officer-in-Charge (OC) of the Immigration Police, filed the case at Akhaura Police Station, accusing the journalists of extortion and defamation. Prior to this, on August 4, RTV Online, and on August 7, *The Daily Jugantor* published reports highlighting allegations of bribery, passenger harassment, and other irregularities by the police at the Akhaura Immigration Checkpoint. The reports claimed that passengers traveling to India on medical visas were being extorted for various amounts of money. Those who refused to pay were allegedly denied border crossing under various pretexts. The reports further alleged that the Immigration Police, including OC Abdus Sattar and several other officers, were involved in these activities, with evidence of their complicity. However, in the case details, OC Abdus Sattar dismissed the reports as baseless and fabricated. Md. Fazle Rabbi, one of the affected journalists, stated, “I published the report based on facts and evidence as part of my professional duty. This case is aimed at harassing us and silencing journalists.” Saddam Hossain, the other journalist, said, “A journalist’s job is to reveal the truth. False cases cannot suppress the voice of journalists. A proper investigation will expose the corruption within the Immigration Police. The fact that Akhaura Police Station’s OC, Chamiuddin, registered the case without investigation proves he is not impartial. This is a direct attack on journalism.” Rubel Ahmed, President of Akhaura Reporters’ Unity, commented, “This is a direct assault on the freedom of the press. I urge the interim government to ensure an environment where journalists can perform their duties fearlessly.” Nasir Uddin, President of Akhaura Journalists Welfare Society, said, “If journalists face lawsuits for exposing irregularities and corruption, the pursuit of truth will be obstructed. We demand the immediate withdrawal of the false case against the two journalists. Otherwise, journalists will be compelled to launch a larger movement.” When contacted regarding the case, Shahadat Hossain Liton, President of Akhaura Press Club, said, “The journalists are being harassed with a false case for publishing truthful reports. We strongly condemn this and demand the immediate withdrawal of the case. If the published report was false, the affected party could have issued a rebuttal in the concerned newspaper, but they did not.” Akhaura Police Station’s OC, Md. Chamiuddin, told *Kalbela*, “The case has been registered. In addition to extortion, the accused journalists have been charged with defamation for publishing false reports.”