Journo Shamsur Rahman Murder

Charge-sheeted accused Selim held in India

14 November 2011, 18:00 PM

Staff Correspondent, Khulna

Indian police on Friday arrested one of the charge sheeted accused in the Jessore journalist Shamsur Rahman murder case. Arrestee 'Pagla' Selim, who hails from Ghop area in Jessore town, is wanted in several criminal cases including for murders and robberies in Jessore, said Police Superintendent of Jessore Kamrul Ahsan yesterday. Shamsur Rahman, Jessore bureau chief of Dainik Janakantha, was gunned down in his office on July 16 in the year 2000. Selina Akhter Lucky, wife of the slain journalist later filed a case with Jessore Kotwali police station naming none as accused. Sources told police that Pagla Selim was arrested from Salt Lake area by Bidhannagar police in Paschimbanga on Friday morning. The sources quoted Police Superintendent Champak Bhattacharjee of 24 Parganas district as saying that Selim was sent to court on Saturday and taken on a five-day remand for interrogation. Pagla Selim was first arrested on June 23 in 2001 from Bharatnagar Colony adjacent to Red Fort in Delhi after he fled the country to evade arrest by police. Later in 2004, he was arrested by police after he came back to Dhaka in 2004. He again fled the county after getting bail from a court. Contacted, Police Superintendent Kamrul Ahsan told this correspondent that family sources of the slain journalist informed him about Selim's arrest. Selina Akhter could not be contacted despite several attempts over phones yesterday for her comments. However, Sajedur Rahman, Jessore bureau chief of Dainik Janakantha and younger brother of Shamsur Rahman confirmed the arrest of Pagla Selim. He said that a report has also been published in yesterday's issue of the Dainik Ananda Bazar of Kolkata.