Dhaka Tribune journo faces ‘fake’ dowry case, gets bail

Dhaka Tribune’s senior journalist Md Saidun Nabi has been granted bail by a Chittagong court in a dowry case filed by his wife.

The court of Sixth Judicial Magistrate Fardin Mustaqim passed the order on Wednesday, confirmed court sources.

According to the case, the accused tortured her on two occasions -- on March 15 and 23 -- at his house in East Syedpur village of the district's Sitakunda upazila for a dowry of Tk2 lakh.

However, the victim has been staying at her father residence since December 26, said defence lawyer Nazim Uddin Chowdhury as he termed the allegations brought against Nabi were false and fabricated.

The case was meant to harass his client, Nazim added.

The plaintiff, Kunsuma Jannatul Shampa, could not be reached by phone for comments on the matter. She filed the case at the Chief Judicial Magistrate's Court of Kamrun Nahar Rumi on March 21.

The case also alleges that the plaintiff went to Sitakunda Upazila Health Complex for treatment. Later, her father took her to the local police station but the police did not register the case and suggested that they file it in a court.

On this point, Nazim said the plaintiff's father-in-law left the country for Oman on December 29, where he runs a tailoring shop.

The journalist claimed said he attempted to settle the conflict with his wife and in-laws several times but did not get any cooperation from the other side. He also reported the matter to the local ward councillor of Sitakunda municipality and village heads, but in vain.

“On February 22, I had a legal notice issued through the District Legal Aid Office for an arbitration with his wife,” he said. 

The journalist claimed that the relatives of his wife threatened him with dire "consequences" on several occasions whenever he tried to contact his wife and one-year-old daughter.