Sedition cases: 6 officials of Palli Bidyut Samity sent to jail

A Dhaka court today sent six Palli Bidyut Samity (PBS) officials to jail on completion of their three-day remand in two sedition cases filed on charges of destabilising the power sector.
The court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Ragib Noor also rejected their bail petitions, our court correspondent reports.
The six officials are Rajon Kumar Das, assistant general manager of Munshiganj PBS; Asaduzzaman Bhuiyan, deputy general manager of Nabinagar zonal office of Bramanbaria PBS; Dipak Kumar Singha, deputy general manager of Cumilla PBS-1; Mohammad Rahat, deputy general manager of Sreepur zonal office of Magura PBS; Monir Hossain, assistant general manager of Netrakona PBS; and Belal Hossain, deputy general manager of Sirajganj PBS-2.
Ashikur Rahman Dewan, an inspector of Khilkhet Police Station and also investigation officer of the cases, produced the accused before the court with an appeal to confine them in jail until the probe is completed.
The defence submitted separate petitions, seeking bail on grounds that their clients were implicated in the cases as part of a conspiracy to harass them.
Upon the hearing, the court turned down the bail petitions and sent them to Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.
Earlier on October 18, another Dhaka court placed them on a three-day remand each after they were produced with a 10-day remand prayer.
Police arrested them from different places on October 17.
Arshad Hossain, director (admin) of Bangladesh Rural Electrification Board, filed the cases with Khilkhet Police Station on October 17, accusing 15 PBS officials.
Ten officials were accused in one case, while the five others were named in the other lawsuit.
The complainant brought sedition charges against the accused under the Penal Code and eight other charges under the Cyber Security Act.