BCL attack: 6 journalists injured in city

Staff Reporter :
At least six journalists were injured after members of Bangladesh Chhatra League allegedly attacked them in two separate places in the capital on Sunday.
At Press Club, two journalists got injured after members of Bangladesh Chhatra League allegedly attacked them in front of National Press Club Sunday afternoon (4 December).
Two victim journalists have been identified as multimedia reporter Abdullah Al Maruf of Manabzamin and Haseeb Panth, multimedia reporter working for Daily Ittefaq.
According to sources, they went there in order to cover a human chain programme of Islami Bank’s shareholders and customer rights protection council when the
BCL men allegedly attacked them.
“We had come to cover news in the Press Club area. The shareholders of Islami Bank formed a human chain there. While they were gathering information regarding the event, a group of men began to attack us screaming the ‘Joy Bangla’ slogan,” victims told the media.
BCL men also snatched their smartphones, wallets and ID cards. The attackers did not stops even after finding out that they were journalists, victims added.
Victims journalists claimed that the police who witnessed the incident did not make a move to stop the attackers.
Zubair Ahmed, former general secretary of Dhaka Metropolitan South Chhatra League, led a BCL procession in the area.
When asked about the attack, Zubair said that if any BCL worker was involved in the incident or carried out any attack in his name, action will be taken against them.
Meanwhile, four journalists were attacked and then injured by Jagannath University (JOBI) Chhatra League unit leaders while collecting news on Sunday (Dec 4).
The incident happened in front of the main gate of the university and in front of Victoria Park.
The injured journalists were identified as Toha Islam, Imran Hussain, Mahatab Limon, and Rocky Ahmed.
They are currently undergoing treatment at Salimullah Medical College Hospital.
According to eyewitnesses, JOBI unit Chhatra League activists attacked BNP leader Ishraq’s car aroud 2:40 pm. Later, BCL workers ambushed daily Naya Shatabdi university correspondent Toha Islam. However, they also tried snatching his mobile phone while making a video of the incident.
The journalists were ambushed by BCL president Sujan Das Ork, worker Turya and co-editor Raihan Kabir, said eyewitnesses.
Jagannath University Journalists Association General Secretary Ahsan Zobair confirmed the matter.