A court in Gazipur has rejected the bail petition of Sifat Abdullah, 25, who was arrested under Bangladesh’s Anti-Terrorism Act following allegations that he made derogatory remarks about Prime Minister Tarique Rahman and other government figures in a Facebook video.
The bail hearing took place on Monday, 7 September, at Gazipur Metropolitan Court-5. After hearing arguments from both sides, Judge Rakibul Hasan rejected Sifat’s application.
Sifat’s lawyer, Rashedul Islam, said the bail petition was submitted to the court on Monday morning. The prosecution opposed the application during the hearing. Following arguments from both sides, the court declined to grant bail.
The defence lawyer said they would now seek bail from the sessions court after the metropolitan court rejected the application.
The case stems from a 1-minute-24-second video that Sifat reportedly posted on social media on Thursday. According to police and local sources, the video contained abusive and derogatory remarks directed at Prime Minister Tarique Rahman, the Home Minister and other people associated with the government.
The video also showed Sifat expressing anger over what he described as unusually high electricity bills at his home. He claimed that his household electricity bill had reached Tk4,000 for the current month, compared with Tk5,000 in the previous month. According to his account, the amounts were considerably higher than what he expected based on his normal electricity consumption.
His defence team maintains that the video was prompted by his frustration over the electricity charges. The lawyer’s explanation contrasts with the allegations made by the prosecution, which has sought to portray the incident in a broader political context.
Siddiqur Rahman, the public prosecutor of the metropolitan court, said Sifat had been charged under the Anti-Terrorism Act. He alleged that Sifat had worked as part of the agenda of the former Awami League government and claimed that he had also worked for what he described as the previous authoritarian political establishment before 5 August.
The allegations remain matters for the legal process, while the defence has disputed the basis attributed to Sifat’s actions, maintaining that his immediate grievance was the electricity bill.
The video subsequently circulated on social media, drawing attention to Sifat’s comments. Police later detained him and showed him arrested in connection with the case filed under the Anti-Terrorism Act before producing him in court.
On 3 September, a court ordered that Sifat be sent to jail. His legal team subsequently began seeking his release on bail. Monday’s hearing was the first major development in that process, with the metropolitan court declining to grant him temporary release.
Sifat is the son of Sikandar Ali of the Tiner Masjid area in Ward 38 of Gazipur Metropolitan City. He is a student of Adamjee Cantonment College in Dhaka.
The case has attracted attention because it began with a personal complaint over electricity charges but quickly developed into a criminal proceeding under anti-terrorism legislation after the Facebook video was circulated. The prosecution and defence have presented distinctly different accounts of the circumstances surrounding the video.
For now, Sifat will remain in custody following the metropolitan court’s decision. His lawyer has said the next step will be to approach the sessions court for bail, leaving the subsequent court proceedings to determine how the case develops.
