Newsmen protest attack by religious bigots
Journalists across the country yesterday strongly protested the Friday's heinous attacks on newsmen by religious bigots and demanded immediate punishment to the perpetrators, reports our correspondent.
In Chittagong, journalists' leaders blamed Jamaat-Shibir and some like-minded radical Islamist parties for the Friday's attacks on journalists and Chittagong Press Club (CPC). They demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment to the attackers.
Due to practising journalism properly as well as covering news of 'mass upsurge' demanding capital punishment for the war criminals, Jamaat-Shibir men vandalised Chittagong Press Club (CPC) and swooped on journalists, they said.
The leaders were speaking at a protest rally jointly organised by CPC and Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ) in front of the club at around 11:00am.
CPC President Ali Abbas said as the CPC members believe in the spirit of independence, the anti-liberation forces launched the attack on it. No attack on CPC has been made since the independence, said Shahidul Alam, President of CUJ.
Former CPC president Abu Sufian said fundamentalists are hatching conspiracy to thwart the ongoing trial of the war criminals and mass upsurge of the new generation. He urged the journalists to stay united against all conspiracies. Mohsin Chowdhury, general secretary of CPC and Reaz Haider Chowdhury, general secretary of CUJ also spoke at the rally.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, Sports Journalists' Association, TV Journalists' Association and Photo Journalists' Association expressed solidarity with the programme.
A group of fundamentalists attacked journalists, vandalised CPC and tore banners, posters and festoons at Gonojagoron Mancha in front of the club on Friday.
In Sylhet, journalists formed a human chain in the city's Zindabazar area yesterday noon to protest the attacks on the on-duty reporters and photographers during agitation by Jamaat and its sympathisers in the afternoon and by the BCL men in the evening on Friday.
The groups assaulted at least 10 journalists, set five motorbikes afire and damaged 10 cameras in the city. The journalists' leaders demanded legal measures against the attackers in three days.
Meanwhile, the Sylhet chapter of the 14-party alliance took out a procession in the city yesterday demanding legal actions against Jamaat-Shibir men and their sympathisers for vandalising Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar and other establishments.
They also held a rally in the court Point area with City Mayor and City AL chef Badar Uddin Ahmed Kamran in the chair. The speakers said they will resist today's hartal called by Jamaat and some like-minded radical Islamist parties.
Sylhet district and city units of BNP at a press conference yesterday condemned the Friday's attack on Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar. District BNP Vice-President and former lawmaker Dilder Hossain Selim also condemned the BCL attack on different business establishments and banks in the city the same day.
In Khulna, Jamaat-Shibir men have been declared persona non grata at Khulna Press Club.
Moqbul Hossain Mintu, president of Khulna Press Club and Khulna Union of Journalists (KUJ) announced this at a rally held on the club premises yesterday.
Khulna Press Club, Khulna Union of Journalists (KUJ), Khulna Photo and TV Journalists Association jointly arranged the rally at around 11:30am protesting the Friday's attacks on Journalists across the country.
The speakers demanded immediate arrest of the culprits responsible for assaulting journalists, vandalising Chittagong Press Club and Shaheed Minars in Feni and Sylhet and torching the national flag in Chandpur and Bogra on Friday.
Journalists later brought out a procession that paraded different streets in the city.
In Jhenidah, local journalists brought out a procession and formed a human chain in the yesterday protesting assault on the journalists by Jamaat-Shibir men on Friday.
They demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the culprits responsible for attack on journalists, vandalisng Chittagong Press Club and Shaheed Minars in Feni and Sylhet and torching the national flag in Chandpur and Bogra.
Similar programmes were held in other districts across the country.
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