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Won Correspondent : investigating agency (Detective branch of the Jhalakathi Police Station) has informed the court that progress has been made in the widely discussed case filed in Jhalakathi, Barisal over allegations of insulting Islam and hurting religious sentiments. According to the unsupported official sources, several of the accused individuals have already been identified. However, the investigators requested additional time from the court to complete the inquiry and prepare a full investigation report, a request which was subsequently granted at the last hearing on 05 March this year.
The case was originally filed on 04 January this year at the Jhalakathi Judicial Magistrate Court. In his complaint, the complainant Nazir Ahmad alleged that several writings published on an online platform portrayed Islam in a derogatory and offensive manner, intentionally and criminally hurting religious sentiments.
Following the initial cognizance hearing on 22 February this year, Senior Judicial Magistrate Nowrin Kabir gave due cognizance to the case and instructed the Officer-in-Charge of the Detective Branch of Jhalakathi Police Station to conduct an investigation into the complaint. The court sources said the case was filed under Sections 295, 295A, 298, and 34 of the Penal Code of Bangladesh 1860 (as amended). The case was registered as C.R.-03/2026.
19 individuals have named as accused in the case. Among them are Md. Mosharrauf Hossain, Gazi Aftabun Nesa Riti, Samir Halder, Nurul Amin, Md. Tanvir Hossain, Sabbir Ahmed, Md. Jakir Hossain, Md. Mizanur Rahman, Burhan Uddin, Rajib Saha, Rumana Parvin, Mosammat Nasrin Sultana, Munayem Ahmed, Gazi Mohammad Saiful Islam, Abdullah Al Hossain, amongst others.
Investigators said they are analyzing online activities, published writings, and relevant digital data to identify those involved. Various technical and documentary matters are also being examined as part of the investigation.
Meanwhile, the website “Atheist in Bangladesh”, mentioned in the complaint, was found to have been down and inaccessible. However, it has not yet been confirmed whether the website was shut down for administrative or legal reasons. The case continues at the next hearing on 24 May.