BANGLADESH: Newsmen attacked in two districts

One reporter was beaten for writing about Bangladesh Chhatra League activities, while two others were beaten for writing about drug dealers near Barisal Textile Institute campus

The Daily Star
Thursday, July 30, 2009

Barisal --- Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) cadres In Barguna and drug peddlers in Barisal attacked three newsmen yesterday because of publication of reports against their activities in local dailies recently.

In Barguna, BCL cadres, led by ZM Musa, son of Amtali upazila AL President ZM Delwar, beat up Barisal Barta correspondent Hayatuzzaman Miraj in Amtali upazila town at around 2:30pm for publishing a report against the activities of BCL men in the daily.

Hearing the news, local journalists rushed to the spot and took Miraj, also the Secretary of Amtali Reporters' Unity (ARU), to the upazila health complex.

Local journalists condemned the attack on Miraj and filed written complaints with the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) and the officer-in-charge (OC) of Amtali Police Station demanding punishment to the BCL cadres.

When contacted, Amtali AL President Delwar said they will take actions against the persons responsible for assaulting the journalist.

Drug peddlers assaulted two correspondents of two local dailies in front of the main gate of Barisal Textile Institute (BTI) yesterday noon for publishing two reports on their illegal acts in the newspapers recently.

They injured newsmen are Firoz Mustafa, correspondent of Banglar Boney at BTI, and Refayetul Islam, correspondent of Satya Sangbad at the same institute.

Four student of the institute -- Nazmul Huda Mithu, Babar Ali Bhuiya, Jubair Islam and Shakil Ahmed--were also injured during the attack.

The injured newsmen said they recently published two reports on drug peddling in and around the BTI campus on the dailies.

On receiving the news, BTI students and police went to the spot and sent the injured to Barisal Sher-e-Bangla Medical College Hospital.

No case was filed with Barisal Kotwali Police Station in connection with the attack as of filing of this report at 6:30pm yesterday.

Date Posted: 7/30/2009