Last Updated on November 6, 2026 1:53 am by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
A Dhaka court on Thursday (November 5) sent prominent Bangladeshi journalist Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, former information adviser to ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, to jail in connection with the killing of a 17-year-old madrasa student during the July 2024 uprising that eventually toppled her Awami League government.
Chowdhury, former president of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), editor of The Daily Observer and former chairman of private television channel DBC News, was arrested by Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch (DB) on Wednesday.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque ordered his detention after police produced him before the court around 3.50pm on Thursday.
The case concerns Mohammad Arif, a 17-year-old student of Lord Hardinge Senior Fazil Madrasa, who was allegedly shot during anti-government protests near Boubazar in Dhaka’s Jatrabari area on July 19, 2024.
According to the case statement, Arif sustained a gunshot injury to his eye during alleged firing involving police and Awami League supporters. He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors declared him dead.
His father, Mohammad Yousuf, filed a murder case on August 26, 2024, naming Hasina, Chowdhury and 231 others as accused. Chowdhury is listed as the 53rd accused.
Investigating officer Sub-Inspector Mohammad Amir Hossain said police had sought judicial custody rather than interrogation on remand.
“There is no immediate plan to seek his remand. We have applied to keep him in jail,” he said.
Chowdhury was taken into custody from the DBC News office in Dhaka’s Mohakhali area on Wednesday, along with journalist Rajib Ghosh, a senior crime reporter.
Police initially said the two were taken to the DB office following an “unwanted situation” at the television channel after a news broadcast.
DB chief Md Shafiqul Islam later confirmed Chowdhury’s arrest in the murder case. Ghosh was released after questioning and signing a personal bond early Thursday.
The incident prompted concern among journalist organisations, including Dhaka Reporters Unity and the Association of Television News Broadcasters, which demanded transparency and due process.
Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed said any detention must be based on specific allegations and handled according to law.
Chowdhury’s arrest comes more than two years after Hasina fled to India on August 5, 2024, following a student-led uprising.
A United Nations investigation estimated that up to 1,400 people were killed during the July-August crackdown.
However, investigators have not publicly disclosed specific evidence establishing Chowdhury’s alleged involvement in Arif’s killing. The case remains under investigation, and Thursday’s court order does not constitute a conviction.