Journalists have boycotted a health ministry press briefing in protest of the arrest of Rozina Islam, a senior reporter of Bangla daily Prothom Alo.
The briefing was scheduled to be held at 11:00am Tuesday at the Secretariat.
The decision was announced on Tuesday morning in a notice signed by Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum General Secretary Shamim Ahmed.
The next programmes will be decided at an emergency meeting over the issue of the executive committee later in the day, the notice said.
Meanwhile, a Dhaka court on Tuesday rejected a five-day remand prayer for Prothom Alo senior reporter Rozina Islam in a case filed under Official Secrets Act.
Judge of Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court sent Rozina Islam to jail rejecting the remand plea and fixed Thursday for hearing on her bail plea.
Earlier in the day, Maidul Islam, public relations officer of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, announced a press briefing to be held at 11:00am regarding the confinement and subsequent arrest of Rozina Islam.
Police arrested Rozina Islam on Monday in a case filed with Shahbagh police station by the health ministry after confining her at the ministry for five hours.
Md Shibbir Ahmed Osmani, deputy secretary at the Health Services Division of the ministry filed the case as a petitioner accusing Rozina of collecting "sensitive government documents" and "taking photos of them ".
Dhaka Metropolitan Police additional deputy commissioner for Ramna zone Harun Ur Rashid told media that the case was filed under sections 379 and 411 of the penal code and the official secrets act.
Maidul Islam Pradhan, senior information officer at the ministry, claimed that Rozina had entered the office of the health services division secretary’s private secretary between 3:00pm and 3:30pm without permission.
Ministry staff including the private secretary, an additional secretary and a constable of police found photos of sensitive documents on Rozina’s phone, he added.
Rozina was kept confined at the ministry until she was handed over to the police at 9:45pm on Monday.
Rozina rejected all allegations brought against her by the officials and said she was harassed inside the ministry.
