STAR REPORT

Prothom Alo reporter Samsuzzaman Shams yesterday said his ordeal won’t be able to stop him from telling the truth.

He said this while talking to his colleagues at the newspaper office after his release from Dhaka Central Jail in Keraniganj.

Five days after his detention from his Savar home, Shams walked out of the jail at 6:22pm.

Earlier in the day, a Dhaka court granted him bail until submission of the police report in a case filed under the Digital Security Act with Ramna Police Station.

Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Muhammad Asaduzzaman Noor, around 3:00pm, came up with the bail order upon Tk 20,000 bond with two guarantors, Chaitanya Chandra Halder, one of Shams’ counsels, told The Daily Star.

Upon his release, Shams came to the Prothom Alo office in the capital’s Karwan Bazar, where his colleagues greeted him with flowers.

He expressed his gratitude to everyone who wished him well during his ordeal.

“I am not worried at all. But I felt bad twice -- when I saw the picture of my mother crying and then when I saw Moti Bhai in court,” he said.

“I will continue to tell the truth and do ethical journalism,” Shams added.

He said he was treated well by different authorities during his ordeal.

“As a member of the Prothom Alo family, I would look forward to doing the journalism properly,” he said, adding that he tried several jobs earlier, but came back to Prothom Alo because it was a family to him.

Congratulating Shams on his return, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman said, “This is a very happy moment. There are more tests ahead. Shams passed the test. Shams has many good friends and well-wishers. Everyone was with him. There was great support at home and abroad.”

Praising Shams’ mother for her patience, courage and strength, the Prothom Alo editor said Shams’ reuniting with her mother is the biggest reward.