Daily Bangla Times: A section of students of Jahangirnagar University on Friday blocked the Dhaka-Aricha Highway demanding immediate release of Prothom Alo journalist Samsuzzaman Shams and scrapping the Digital Security Act, under which the journalist was arrested on Thursday.

Over one hundred students, under the banner of ‘Jahangirnagar University Students’, started a procession at about 2:30pm from the university's Murad Chattar area.

The procession reached the main entrance of the university and the students put blockades on both the lanes of Dhaka-Aricha highway near the main gate of the university.

They kept the highway blocked for about an hour. Long tailbacks were created on both the ends of the blockade point.

The agitating students chanted slogans such as ‘Scrap DSA’, ‘Free Shams, free media’, ‘Give us the freedom of fish, meat, and rice’, ‘people will answer to the batons, bullets and tear shells’ etc.

  Prothom Alo journalist Shamsuzzaman sued under DSA

‘When people want to tell about their suffering, the state tries to stop them. Oppressing journalists for exposing the suffering of people is nothing but their fascist behavior’, an economics department student Prapti Taposhi said while addressing the demonstration.

An archeology department student, Sudipta Dey, said, ‘It is a shame for the state that it failed to ensure freedom of press and freedom of speech in over fifty years of our independence.’

They placed a three-point charter of demands including release of journalist Shams unconditionally, the scrapping of the Digital Security Act, and ensuring the freedom of speech and freedom of press.

The demonstrators gave a 48-hour ultimatum to free the journalist and vowed to stage tougher movement if their demands were not met by the time.  

Before the demonstration, members of law enforcement agencies took positions at the university's main entrance.

Dhaka Zila Additional Superintendent of Police Abdullahel Kafi, Additional Superintendent of Police of Savar Circle Shahidul Islam, officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station SM Kamruzzaman, JU proctor ASM Firoz-Ul-Hasan rushed to the spot.  

Officer-in-charge of Ashulia Police Station, SM Kamruzzaman, told New Age that they took position there to prevent any unwanted situation.

Prothom Alo journalist Shams was picked up from the Savar residence on early Wednesday and was produced before a Dhaka court on Thursday morning.

He was later sent to jail in a case under DSA for publishing a report on commodity prices.