Staff Reporter :
Sabbir Hossain Sojib, a leader of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), held a press conference in Mirpur on Saturday, 24 August, protesting the publication of what he described as fabricated news.
The press conference took place at the temporary office of Shah Ali Thana Chhatra Dal on North Bishil Road No. 6, Shah Ali Thana.
During the conference, Sabbir Hossain Sojib stated that Nayan, the leader of a notorious extortion gang in the Mirpur market, had been carrying out unchecked extortion activities for a long time. On Monday, 6 August, when Nayan arrived to collect extortion money, members of an anti-discrimination student group intervened to stop him.
“At that time, I, along with Manik Khan, joined forces with the students to resist Nayan and his gang,” said Sabbir Hossain Sojib. He added that when Nayan and his associates created a commotion, more anti-discrimination students gathered, forcing the extortionists to flee.
However, on 22 August, a widely circulated national daily published an online news article titled “Chhatra Dal Occupies Fruit Market in Mirpur Using Their Name,” which mentioned the names of Sabbir Hossain Sojib, Manik Khan, and others. Sabbir claimed that the extortion gang had misled the reporter to conceal the truth.
Sojib further explained, “We assisted Sultan Hossain, the proprietor of Sultan Banijya Bhandar, in stopping the extortion activities at his shop. During this incident, one of Nayan’s associates recorded a video and provided a false interpretation to the reporter.”