The Detective Branch of Dhaka Metropolitan Police has said it will investigate the case started against Prothom Alo Senior Correspondent Rozina Islam under the Official Secrets Act in a fair and impartial manner. On May 17, Rozina was confined to a room of the Secretariat’s Health Services Division for more than five hours over allegations of spiriting away important government documents and taking photos of the papers.
She was later taken to Shahbagh Police Station in the evening. Deputy Secretary of Health Services Shibbir Ahmed then filed a case against her under the Official Secrets Act. DB police were put in charge of investigating the case against Rozina on Wednesday.
We have just received the case and started our investigation, Deputy Commissioner HM Azimul Haque of Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Police’s Ramna division, told reporters on Thursday. Now is not the time to go into details, he added. The court has set Jul 15 for the submission of the final investigation report for the case lodged with Shhabagh police.
Rozina has denied any wrongdoing. Her colleagues said she might have been targeted for her reports on irregularities in the health ministry amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Her family also complained that she was physically harassed while being held at the Secretariat.
A Dhaka court on Tuesday turned down a police plea to interrogate Rozina in their custody.
She is currently being held at Kashimpur Jail. The court will hear her appeal for bail on Thursday.
