DSA misused in Naogaon incident: Law Minister

Staff Reporter :
The Digital Security Act (DSA) was misused in Naogaon incident where a women named Sultana Jasmine was detained by the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), transferred to hospital from RAB custody and declared dead there, said Law, Justice and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Anisul Huq.
 He said it while replying the journalist query in secretariat on Thursday.
Responding to a question on arresting journalist Samsuzzaman Shams in a DSA case, Anisul Huq said, “The cases, which were filed and are being filed, are not against the journalists, these are against wrongdoing. If you [journalists] publish facts for the people, this government will not stop you in anyway”.
Law minister said “I want to disclose you something very clearly. There was no DSA case against the lady [Sultana Jasmine] when she was picked up [by RAB]. It was a misfortune and obviously a tragedy that when she died even then there was no DSA case against her. The case was filed the next day. So, the DSA was misused here.
Anisul Huq admits about the misuse of DSA act saying that the act is being misused in one or two cases. We are taking action. Wherever we are learning about misuse, we are taking steps to stop it.
Earlier on 22 March, RAB arrested Sultana Jasmine, who worked as an assistant at Chandipur Union Land Office in Naogaon, on charges of fraud.
RAB did not, however, inform the local police about Jasmine’s arrest, according to media reports.
It was later found a case was filed against her under the Digital Security Act the day after RAB took her in custody.
According to RAB, when Jasmine fell ill after her arrest, she was first taken to Naogaon Hospital and later to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital where she died on 24 March.
Jasmine’s family claimed she died from being tortured by RAB during interrogation, which the law enforcers denied.
Doctors at the Rajshahi Medical College Hospital said Jasmine had an injury on the right side of her head when she was admitted to the hospital and the CT scan report revealed there was bleeding in the brain.