Former Sharsha Press Club president arrested in sabotage case

Police arrested Asaduzzaman Asad, a retired schoolteacher, senior journalist, and the Benapole correspondent for bdnews24.com, from his residence late Monday night (June 9).

Asad, who is also the former president of the Sharsha Press Club, was initially detained at the police station before being formally shown arrested in a sabotage case and subsequently sent to prison. Following the arrest, he was brought to the Jashore court in handcuffs on Monday afternoon.

Local media professionals gathered and took up a position in front of the Sharsha Police Station on Monday morning to protest the detention and demand Asad's unconditional release. Expressing their solidarity, Benapole Press Club General Secretary Bakul Mahbub stated that the senior journalist was detained from his Jamtala residence in Sharsha by individuals identifying themselves as members of the Jessore Detective Branch (DB) without any specific warrant. He added that the perpetrators dismantled the household CCTV cameras before taking Asad away, and physically assaulted his college-going nephew, Torongo, who was later released after the family signed a bond.

Local journalists Jamal Hossain and Monir Hossain condemned the incident, describing the harassment of a senior journalist under an elected government as a direct intervention in the freedom of the press. They noted that such actions severely tarnish the image of the administration. In his defense, the detained journalist Asad stated that he had distanced himself completely from Awami League politics since 2023.

Confirming the law enforcement action, Sharsha Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Faruque Hossain stated that Asad served as the organizational secretary in the most recent committee of the Sharsha Upazila Awami League. The OC explained that he was apprehended in connection with an ongoing sabotage case due to his political affiliation and was forwarded to the Jashore court on Monday.