Staff Reporter :
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) have expressed deep concern over the ongoing alleged corrupt practices at the state-run news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) as legacy of the fallen fascist regime.
In a joint statement issued on Tuesday, BFUJ Acting President Obaidur Rahman Shahin and Secretary General Kader Goni Chawdhury, DUJ President Md Shahidul Islam and General Secretary Khurshid Alam accused the present `revolutionary’ of patronizing corruption at BSS without paying heed to their repeated calls in this regard. They said on several occasions in the last 10 months the BFUJ and DUJ had requested the government to probe the embezzlement of crores of Taka by cohorts of the fascist regime at the news agency run by taxpayers’ money.
The journalist leaders, in the statement, said it’s a matter of regret that the present BSS Managing Director (MD) Mahbub Morshed has taken position against the BFUJ, DUJ by hiding the irregularities of the past. Moreover, he himself has been in the corruption, they said.
Under the above circumstances, BFUJ and DUJ have demanded to the government to withdraw Mahbub Morshed from BSS for the sake of a fair and thorough investigation of the corruption in the organization. Otherwise, they warned that the journalist community will be compelled to launch a tougher movement to press home the demand.
Earlier, the BFUJ and DUJ had submitted memorandums to the Chief Adviser and Adviser for Information as part of the movement, the statement said.
They said the mainstream newspaper like Daily Prothom Alo, Jugantor, Nayadiganta and others have published reports over corruption at BSS and Mahbub Morshed’s involvement in it.
BFUJ, DUJ leaders said that they hoped that the revolutionary government will establish example by taking action against BSS corruption and Mahbub Morshed.
The Anti-corruption Commission (ACC) has taken initiatives to probe BSS corruption which is being hindered by MD Mahbub Morshed with support from the Ministry of Information, the statement alleged.
