Bail denied for Sifat, arrested on charges of insulting the Prime Minister

The court has rejected the bail application of college student Md. Abdullah Sifat alias Billal, who was arrested in Gazipur on charges of publishing a video on social media alleging excessive electricity bills and insulting the Prime Minister and government officials.

Judge Rakibul Islam of Gazipur Metropolitan Magistrate Court-5 gave the order after the hearing on Monday (September 7) afternoon. The court's order has been confirmed in several recent reports.

Arguments of both parties in court

Lawyer Rashedul Islam Robi presented the argument in favor of Sifat's bail in court. On the other hand, state prosecutor Siddiqur Rahman opposed the bail.

The defense lawyer claimed that Sifat's statement about the electricity bill and energy crisis was not mentioned in the case in which he was arrested. He claimed that he was arrested in an old case and Sifat has no direct connection with it.

On the other hand, the state's lawyer opposed bail, citing the fact that Sifat had a case against him under the Anti-Terrorism Act in the court.

Allegations surrounding the video

According to the police, Sifat posted a video of about 1 minute and 24 seconds on his Facebook account. In the video, he is seen holding an electricity bill and allegedly making obscene comments about the Prime Minister and government officials.

After the video went viral on social media, Gazipur's Gacha Police Station arrested him on the night of September 3. He was later shown arrested in an old Anti-Terrorism Act case.

What did he say about the electricity bill? Investigation

In the video posted on social media, Sifat complained about an unusually high electricity bill at his home. Later, the Gazipur Rural Electricity Association-1 investigated the matter.

Officials of the organization said that no irregularities or errors were found in the preparation of the bill during the on-site investigation.

The investigation report states that Sifat's two-story house in the Khailkoir Tin Masjid area of ​​Ward No. 38 of Gazipur Metropolitan City has three residential electricity meters. In the four months from May to August, the bill for the three meters was 16,273 taka against the total consumption of 2,080 units of electricity.

Of these, the total bill for the three meters in July and August was 10,681 taka. As a result, the investigation report states that the bill of about 10,000 taka that Sifat mentioned in the video is consistent with the bill for those two months.

Disagreements over the investigation report

However, Ali Naser Khan, the central chief organizer of the Jatiya Nagorik Party (NCP), has questioned the presentation of the investigation report. He claims that although there is no major discrepancy in the bill for two months, the issue has been presented differently as a result of presenting the accounts for four months together.

He also claims that this is an attempt to tarnish Sifat's image.

Police statement

Gazipur Metropolitan Police said that Sifat's social media statements and various information have been verified. Police claim that information has been found about his involvement in the activities of a banned organization during the investigation.

According to the police, information has also been found about Sifat's involvement in organizing and holding processions of that organization at various times. However, the investigation into these matters is still ongoing.

Who is Sifat?

Sifat is a student of Adamjee Cantonment College in the capital. His home is in the Khailkoir area of ​​Gazipur metropolis.

Various reports have revealed that after Sifat's arrest, a sit-in program was also held at Gacha Police Station by the leaders and activists of the political organization demanding his release.

Meanwhile, the police said that no separate defamation case has been filed against the prime minister for insulting him. He was shown arrested in an old anti-terrorism law case filed on June 4.

Sifat is currently in jail after his bail application was rejected on Monday after the court heard him. Further legal proceedings and investigation into the case are ongoing.