Posting Manto quote on Facebook: Youth held in Srimangal under DSA

Police on Friday (9 September) arrested a youth from Srimangal in Moulvibazar, named Pritam Das, in a case filed under the Digital Security Act for allegedly hurting religious sentiments by posting a quote by Pakistani writer Saadat Hasan Manto on Facebook.

Humayun Kabir, inspector (investigation) of Srimangal police station, said Pritam was arrested from a house in Srimangal on Friday evening.

Local Chhatra League activist Mahbub Alam Bhuiyan filed the case with Srimangal police station last week, accusing Pritam of insulting his religion.

Pritam Das, a leader of an organisation named "Rashtra Sanskar Andolon", posted Manto's quote on Facebook on 7 July. But he was charged with blasphemy in August after holding a programme in solidarity with tea workers under the banner of his organisation.

Abed Hossain, the former general secretary of Srimangal Municipal Chhatra League, shared the screenshot of Pritam's controversial post on Facebook on 29 August and demanded that he be brought to book, sparking tension in Srimangal.

Many people, most of whom are Chhatra League activists, asked for Pritam's arrest and trial through Facebook posts.

An organisation of the local Muslim people – Srimangaler Dharmapran Muslim Janata – held a protest march in the upazila town on 31 August, demanding the arrest of Pritam Das. The incident spread panic among the local Hindus and Pritam Das went into hiding.

Just a day before Pritam posted the quote by Manto on Facebook, historian Professor Muntasir Mamun in an article entitled "Nao Pakistani Nao Bangladeshi" published by an online news medium used the same quote by Manto to describe the plight of Pakistan.

Abed Hossain accused Pritam of "insulting Islam" about two months after he had posted Manto's quote taken from that article.

The same status quoting Manto was also given on the Facebook page of M Naser Rahman, son of former finance minister M Saifur Rahman and a former member of parliament from Moulvibazar-2 constituency on 28 July.

But, only Pritam has been sued.

Pritam supported tea workers' movement

There are allegations that a certain quarter has been purposefully inciting religious unrest in Srimangal using an old Facebook status by Pritam as his organisation was in support of the recent movement of tea workers demanding a pay hike.

Rashtra Sanskar Andolon held a rally at Chaumohona in Srimangal on 27 August in solidarity with the tea workers' movement, which came under attack at Chaumohana Chatter in Srimangal. The organisers have been complaining since the beginning that a section of the local Chhatra League carried out the attack.

Pritam Das is a member of the Central Executive Committee of Rashtra Sanskar Andolon. After the attack, the organisation held two press conferences in Srimangal on 29 and 30 August, respectively where Pritam Das read out written statements.

He alleged that Abed Hossain and his followers carried out the attack on the Rastra Sanskar Andolon rally, injuring around 10.

Immediately after the press conferences, Abed and others posted a status against Pritam on Facebook accusing him of insulting religion.