Staff Reporter:
An incident of assault on journalists occurred at the BNP Chairperson’s Gulshan office on Sunday afternoon around 4:30 pm, while interviews of nomination aspirants from the Sylhet division were underway.
Jahidul Islam, a reporter for Amar Desh, said he had been at the Chairperson’s office since morning. Around
4:30 pm, when he tried to enter and speak with nomination seekers, several individuals attacked him amid the commotion.
Jahidul Islam said, “I was recording video footage when suddenly 3-4 people dragged me away. They broke my mobile phone, snatched my press card, and assaulted me. I told them that if filming was not allowed, I would delete the footage, but without listening, they beat me and forced me out of the office.”
According to journalists present at the scene, Sajjad of The Daily Star, Asim Al Imran of Naya Diganta, and Khalid Hossain of Jago News were also harassed during the incident.
The attack has sparked outrage among journalists covering the BNP beat. They said, “Physically assaulting a journalist, smashing his mobile phone, and seizing his ID card are completely unacceptable. We must all protest this together.”
BNP Media Cell Convener Moudud Hossain Alamgir Pavel said, “The incident is regrettable. We have already been informed about it. The responsible persons will be identified and appropriate action will be taken.”
The matter has also been brought to the attention of BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and members of the Standing Committee. They have expressed concern and instructed that a prompt investigation be conducted and necessary measures be taken.
BNP Media Cell member Shayrul Kabir Khan said, “The incident is unfortunate. I have reported it to the top leadership.”
