Police detained journalist Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, who served as information adviser to ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina, from the Dhaka office of private television channel DBC on Wednesday afternoon, bdnews24.com reports. The station is located in the capital's Mohakhali area. A second DBC journalist, Rajib Ghosh, who covers crime for the outlet, was taken away by police at the same time.
Mohammad Shafiqul Islam, additional commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police's Detective Branch, confirmed the detention and said the journalist had not been arrested. He was brought in for questioning, the officer said, because an unwanted situation had arisen at the scene.
Why it matters
The detention of a former adviser to the ousted premier, carried out from a newsroom, touches two sensitive areas at once in Bangladesh: the ongoing legal pressure on figures linked to the previous government and the working conditions of the press. According to bdnews24.com, the move came without a clear public explanation from police, and the broadcaster said it was still trying to establish the grounds.
Broadcaster says it was not told why
Muktadir Anik, assignment editor at DBC, spoke to reporters at the station later in the afternoon. He said Chowdhury was taken by Detective Branch officers from the street as he was leaving the DBC office, and that the channel had no clear information about the reason.
Anik said the station could only assume the detention was connected to a case dating from the period of the July uprising. He said DBC was making its own efforts to find out why Chowdhury had been taken.
On Rajib Ghosh, the assignment editor said the colleague was not being questioned. He described the officers' approach as informal, telling the journalist to come along for tea. Anik said Ghosh's good relations with police, built up through his crime beat work as the channel's crime chief, explained why he was asked to talk with officers.
He drew a distinction between the two cases, saying it would be accurate to describe Chowdhury as having been taken away, but not Ghosh.
A record of government service and press advocacy
Chowdhury's career has spanned both journalism and government. He worked as a media professional before being appointed information adviser to Sheikh Hasina, a role he held during her administration. Sheikh Hasina was removed from power in August 2024 amid the student-led protests that became known as the July uprising.
Since her departure, cases have been filed against numerous figures associated with her government, and detentions have continued. The DBC assignment editor's remarks indicate the station believes Chowdhury's case falls within that broader pattern, though neither police nor the broadcaster has confirmed a specific case or allegation.
The DMP's Shafiqul Islam gave no details about what questioning would cover, and bdnews24.com's report does not say whether Chowdhury has legal representation or whether a case has been registered against him.
What to watch
Whether police formally register a case against Chowdhury, whether he is produced in court, and whether DBC or his family receives a formal explanation for the detention. The status of Rajib Ghosh, who was taken along for an informal conversation, is also worth following.
