Journalist held in defamation case, yet to be produced in court

A local journalist in Cumilla has been arrested in connection with a defamation case, but was not produced before a court even after nearly 24 hours in police custody, prompting concern and criticism among members of the local media community.

Mahbub Alam Arif, general secretary of the Muradnagar Upazila Press Club was arrested by Muradnagar Police from the Gaidhuli area on Wednesday afternoon on the basis of a court-issued warrant.

Several local sources alleged that the delay in producing him before the court may have been politically motivated. They claimed attempts were being made to implicate him in additional cases to prolong his detention and complicate his bail process. Police, however, have not officially responded to those allegations.

According to court documents, the case stems from a news report published on June 27, 2025, on Arif’s online platform, Muradnagar Live TV, under the headline “Hindu woman stripped and raped.” The report identified the accused, Fazr Ali, as a leader of the BNP.

Following the publication, Kamal Uddin Bhuiyan, joint convener of the Muradnagar Upazila BNP, filed a Tk 1,000 crore defamation suit before the Cumilla Senior Judicial Magistrate’s Court on July 9. After taking cognisance of the complaint, the court issued a summons against Arif. Police said he was later arrested after a warrant was issued in the case.

Arif, son of the late Monirul Haque of Muradnagar Sadar, has long worked as the Muradnagar correspondent for national dailies Ajker Patrika and Manab Kantha, as well as the local newspaper Ajker Cumilla.

After the arrest, Muradnagar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Anwar Hossain Chowdhury said the arrest was made solely on the basis of the court warrant.

“There was a court warrant against him. We were not aware that he was a journalist. Since there was a warrant, we arrested him,” the OC told reporters on Wednesday.

However, repeated attempts to contact the OC on Thursday to ask why Arif had not been produced before the court were unsuccessful, as he did not answer his phone.

Local journalists questioned the credibility of the OC’s statement, arguing that Arif is a well-known journalist in Muradnagar and that it is unlikely law enforcement officials were unaware of his profession. They alleged that he is being subjected to harassment for political reasons.

No immediate statement was available from the political leaders concerned regarding either the defamation case or the allegations of politically motivated harassment. The matter remains subject to judicial proceedings.