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Khulna police detain 7th grader in place of journo father
Published : Tuesday, 6 October, 2026 at 9:40 AM
Observer Online Report
Collected Photo
Police in Khulna’s Khanjahan Ali Police Station detained the 16-year-old son of a local journalist for nearly five hours after failing to locate his father at their residence on Monday (October 5).
The seventh-grade student, Md. Siam, was picked up from his home in Gilatala Dakshinpara around noon during a raid led by Officer-in-Charge (OC) Abul Bashar. He was eventually handed over to a social services officer following widespread protest and intervention by local journalists.
Family members of Saifullah Tareq, a staff reporter for the local daily Dainik Prabaha, alleged that police physically assaulted the minor and verbally abused Tareq's wife and daughter. They stated that despite not being accused in any case, the teenager was kept detained at the police station for hours while officers hurled profanities regarding his father.
Journalist Saifullah Tareq claimed the case against him was conspiratorial, engineered by a local butcher linked to a drug dealer, after the local shop owners' association—where Tareq serves as general secretary—objected to unsanitary roadside slaughtering. He accused the OC of recording the case without preliminary investigation.
In response to the allegations, OC Abul Bashar claimed the minor was brought in for obstructing police duties and using abusive language toward officers. He stated the boy was subsequently released to family custody under a six-month probation period through the District Probation Office of the Department of Social Services.
Rights organisations and local journalist groups have strongly condemned the detention of the minor, demanding a thorough investigation and accountability for the officers involved.
-SA
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Editor : Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury
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Published by the Editor on behalf of the Observer Ltd. from Globe Printers, 24/A, New Eskaton Road, Ramna, Dhaka.
Editorial, News and Commercial Offices : Aziz Bhaban (2nd floor), 93, Motijheel C/A, Dhaka-1000.
Phone: PABX- 41053001-06; Advertisement: 41053012; 01793317829, 01550707291, E-mail: [email protected], [email protected] Online: email: [email protected] 41053014; 01550707297 Advertisement: 01550707296
