(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a Media Watch press release: Journalists are the target of post-election violence in Bangladesh After the parliamentary election held on 1 October 2001, several incidents occurred around the country. In some parts of the country, journalists became the target of terrorist attacks and threats. 1. Swapan Basu, staff reporter […]
(Media Watch/IFEX) – The following is a Media Watch press release:
Journalists are the target of post-election violence in Bangladesh
After the parliamentary election held on 1 October 2001, several incidents occurred around the country. In some parts of the country, journalists became the target of terrorist attacks and threats.
1. Swapan Basu, staff reporter for the government-owned Bangladesh Sangbad Sangbadsangtha (BSS), was severely beaten at the Dhaka University campus on 8 October. Newspapers reported that activists belonging to the newly elected Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) government student wing Chattra Dal attacked Swapan as he was crossing the campus on a rickshaw. The Chattra Dal activists pulled the reporter from the rickshaw and beat him with batons. He lost two teeth and was admitted to hospital.
2. Chokor Malitha, the Jahangir He correspondent for the daily Prothom Alo, was attacked at Nagar University by activists of the ruling BNP’s student wing. He suffered injuries and was admitted to hospital. The activists also stole his mobile phone and ransacked his room in the university hall. At noon on 6 October, while Chokor Malitha was waiting for a bus at the bus station, he was attacked by a group of terrorists and hit with batons and a gun. The terrorists were also looking for the correspondent of the daily Jugantor, Zahidul Islam Khan. They were angry with the journalists because of their reports on terrorist activities at the campus.
3. Activists of the ruling BNP’s student wing took possession of the Kaliakoir Press Club in Gazipur district. They threw out the press club’s sign and hung a sign board of the Chattra Dal (name of the ruling BNP’s student wing). Previously, a group of terrorists had threatened to kill Press Club President Ayub Rana and secretary Arif Hossain.
4. In a separate incident, the house of the daily Prothom Alo’s production assistant, Babul Chandra Deuri, and the chief accountant of the daily Ajker Kagoj, Sukumar Chandra Deuri, was looted on 7 October, in Phulpur, near Jhalkati district, southern Bangladesh. On that night, about 200 terrorists attacked the home. They asked the residents for money, giving them one week’s notice and warned them that they should leave the country.
5. Recently, activists of the fundamentalist Jamat-e Islami’s student wing threatened to kill the vice president of Mirzapur (Tangail district) Press Club, Abul Kashem Khan. On 6 October, Abul Kashem filed a complaint with the local police station asking for police protection to save his life. It is believed that the fundamentalist group was angry with him over his recent reporting.
6. Three journalists were beaten in Sathkhira, a district town in southern Bangladesh. One of the journalists was arrested by police and the other two were admitted to hospital. On 7 October, Abu Ahmed, Sathkhira correspondent for the daily Star, was beaten by a group of terrorists near the circuit house area. He identified some of the terrorists as individuals named Mazed, Habibur Rahman, Ameer Ali, and Aziz. The cause of the attack is unknown. On 6 October, Bani Moslemuddin, correspondent for the daily Banglar, was beaten by terrorists in the Jalalabad Bazaar area, but police arrested him. On 5 October, Abdul Wahab, correspondent for the daily Samachar, was attacked by terrorists in the Badamtoli area. He was admitted to the local hospital.
7. In a separate incident which occurred in Sarishabari Upazila, Jamalpur District, a
terrorist group ordered Lutfur Rahaman, correspondent for the daily Muktkantha, and correspondent for the daily Manavzamin Munshi Shafikul Islam, to leave the area immediately. The terrorist group is annoyed with the journalists because they reported on some of the post-election violence. It is understood that the terrorists are using the name of the newly elected party, BNP.
8. On 3 October, in an incident in Bhola (southern part of the country), a terrorist group attacked three journalists’ homes and tried to assault or kill them. The group ransacked the home of Amitabah Apu, correspondent for the daily Jugantor, looting valuable objects. Apu was not home at the time. The terrorists fired shots and set off a handmade bomb before leaving the place. The same group then attacked the home of Farid Hossain Babul, Bhola correspondent for the daily Prothom Alo. Again, they fired shots and set off a handmade bomb. Finally, the group disconnected the telephone line at Habibur Rahman’s home. Rahman is the editor of the local daily Banglar Kantha.
Thus far, there have been no arrests in connection with these incidents.
