CRAB condemns defamation case against journalist Shamim Siddiqui

Professor Dr Golam Rahman filed the case alleging that defamatory reports against him were published on online news portal Daily Khabor

Shaheen Abdul Bari

A defamation case has been filed against Shamim Siddiqui, a senior member of the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) and managing editor of Alokito Bangladesh that has prompted strong condemnation from the press body.

Professor Dr Golam Rahman filed the case alleging that defamatory reports against him were published on online news portal Daily Khabor.

Siddiqui said he holds a permanent position at Alokito Bangladesh under the 8th Wage Board and has neither resigned nor been terminated, but is facing threats of legal action whenever he demands his due salary.

He alleged that Kazi Rafiqul Alam, former president of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, remains listed as the paper's editor and publisher in its printline even though he stepped down from the post more than two years ago and is now seriously ill, largely unaware of the publication's affairs.

Siddiqui claimed that Dr Golam Rahman, the current president of Dhaka Ahsania Mission, has taken control of the newspaper's affairs in the interim, opening a separate account at Prime Bank and withdrawing large sums through signed cheques via accountant Azad, while withholding his salary and allowances for more than two years without explanation.

He alleged that as reports detailing these activities were published in Daily Khabor, Rahman, suspecting Siddiqui's involvement, filed the defamation case against him.

In a joint statement, CRAB president Mirza Mehedi Tamal and acting general secretary Shahidul Islam Raji strongly condemned the case and demanded its immediate withdrawal, calling such legal action against a journalist an obstruction to free press.

They also urged Dhaka Ahsania Mission authorities to clear all of Siddiqui's outstanding dues.