Journalist Golam Sarwar demands withdrawal of defamation case

Standing in a human chain with his wife and two little kids, along with a host of well wishers, journalist Golam Sarwar was describing his ordeals over the past four years following a defamation case filed against him by an influential family of the port city.
“The case was filed by a brother of the then Minister for Land Saifuzzaman Chowdhury over publishing a report,” he said in the human chain formed in front of Chattogram Press Club this morning.
“I have been suffering physically, financially and mentally while dealing with the case for the last four years,” he said.
“I had to leave my rented house in the port city and send my family to the village home due to financial and security problems,” he said. “My only fault was I have written a report about their misdeed.”
“Now I demand withdrawal of the case filed against me,” he said.
On November 1, 2020, Sarwar was found unconscious beside a canal at Sitakunda’s Kumira, stripped down to his underwear and pleading incoherently for his life, saying he would not write news reports anymore.
A video clip of this incident went viral on social media at that time.
The incident took place days after Sarwar had published a report in a news portal in Chattogram, accusing the then land minister’s brother, Anisuzzaman Chowdhury, of land-grabbing. Anisuzzaman later filed a defamation case against Sarwar, suing him for Tk 100 crore.