Arrest of content creator AM Hasan Nasim, accused of spreading misleading information on social media and blackmailing Chief Whip Nurul Islam Moni, sparked debate in the parliament today.

National Citizen Party MP Hasnat Abdullah criticised the arrest, saying it resembled practices from the Hasina era. “We could never imagine that, after an election, someone would be arrested for sharing a cartoon,” he said.

Nasim was sent to jail on Saturday after BNP activist Nazrul Islam, a supporter of the chief whip, filed a case under Sections 25 and 27 of the Cyber Security Ordinance at Dhaka's Gulshan Police Station.

“In this case, a cartoon has been treated as a criminal offence under Section 25, which applies to sexual assault. This is being used to suppress opposition voices,” Hasnat said.

Taking the floor on a point of order, Hasnat argued that under the Rules of Procedure, the question-answer session may be tabled by the speaker, but this practice was depriving MPs of accountability. "For an effective democracy, where will we speak if we cannot bring ministers under scrutiny?"

He cautioned that without questions, the parliament could become a place of monologues, with scripted answers and no accountability.

Chief Whip Nurul Islam acknowledged MPs’ right to question-answer but cited time constraints.

He mentioned that the opposition leader had proposed 50 hours of discussion on the president’s speech, but only 12 hours had been held so far.

Chief whip later clarified that while three GDs had been filed last December against one person for defamation, he personally requested that anyone arrested for a cartoon about him be released.

“But whether that person is involved in cyber activities, I do not know. If he is indeed involved, then for the sake of both government and opposition, defamation and indecent remarks against anyone cannot be tolerated,” he added.

He said cyber investigations had suggested Hasan’s involvement in manpower recruitment, money laundering and other activities, though the findings had yet to be verified.

He stressed the need for a thorough investigation, noting that fake IDs had been used to spread propaganda against the prime minister and his family.