Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam, who was sent to jail on May 18 in a case filed under the Official Secrets Act, walked out of Kashimpur Women’s Central Jail on Sunday afternoon after securing interim bail from a Dhaka court.
Rozina came out of the prison around 4:15 pm, according to jail officials.
Journalists and people from different walks of life received Rozina at the jail gate with flower bouquets. Her 13 relatives, including sister and brother-in-law, reached the jail gate around 3:25 pm in two microbuses to receive her.
The bail-related documents were sent to the jail authorities online and they freed her after examining those.
Earlier in the day, a Dhaka court granted interim bail to Rozina Islam until July 15 in the case.
Dhaka Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Baki Billah granted the bail on a bond of Tk 5,000. The court also asked Rozina Islam to submit her passport before the court.
Earlier on Thursday, the court fixed Sunday for passing an order after hearing her bail petition virtually.
Assistant public prosecutor Hemayet Uddin Khan represented the state while Advocate Proshanto Kumar Karmakar and Ehsanul Haque Samaji stood for Rozina.
The 42-year-old journalist, known for her investigative journalism, was confined at the Secretariat for over 5 hours before being turned to police on May 17.
She allegedly clicked photos of documents related to government negotiations with pharmaceutical firms for buying Covid-19 vaccines, according to case documents.
An FIR was filed against Rozina under the Official Secrets Act and sections 379 and 411 of The Penal Code on a complaint filed by the Health Services Division with the Shahbagh Police Station.
Later, on May 18, the court sent Rozina to jail rejecting the police’s demand for a five-day remand. Rozina was taken to Kashimpur Central Women’s Jail on that day only.
Meanwhile, The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has formed a 3-member probe committee to look into the allegations of the journalist’s detention at the Secretariat and also her subsequent handover to the police.
