He was harassed Tuesday (Sept. 8) afternoon while carrying out his professional duties. When news of the incident spread, journalists rushed to the scene and announced a boycott of coverage of the Bar Association.
It is learned that journalist Alamgir Hossain Apu was harassed while covering a protest by junior lawyers. One of the protesting junior lawyers snatched his camera and boom microphone from his hands and threw them to the ground.
Alamgir Hossain, the affected journalist, said a lawyer scuffled with him while he was covering the protest. He said that while he was filming, the lawyer suddenly and without any reason snatched the camera and boom from his hands, threw them to the ground and behaved badly toward him, adding that he was deeply distressed by the incident.
Meanwhile, the protesting junior lawyers said the Rangpur Bar Association had decided to make 45 of the 108 candidates who passed the Bar Council exam general members, while designating the remaining 63 as non-voting “associate members.” They said the association’s admission fee, previously 50,000 taka, has now been raised to between 100,000 and 500,000 taka depending on age. In addition, lawyers over the age of 35 are being required to sign stamped undertakings agreeing never to exercise voting rights. The junior lawyers are protesting against the irregular collection of extra admission fees and the practice of taking such undertakings to deny them voting rights.
Junior lawyer Asmin Farha Ankhi said the admission fee, previously 50,000 taka, has now been raised to between 100,000 and 500,000 taka depending on age. She said lawyers over 35 are being made to sign stamped undertakings never to claim voting rights in the future, calling it discriminatory treatment of junior lawyers that cannot be accepted. “That is why we are protesting,” she said. “If our demands are not met, we will go on a hunger strike until death.”
Rangpur Bar Association General Secretary Aftab Uddin said discussions on the junior lawyers’ issues are ongoing within the association, and that the matter of the journalist’s harassment would also be raised with them. “If such an incident did occur, I personally apologize on behalf of everyone,” he said.
City Press Club Rangpur General Secretary Humayun Kabir Manik said the harassment of journalist Alamgir Hossain while performing his professional duties during the ongoing lawyers’ protest was regrettable. “We do not expect such behavior from anyone while carrying out professional duties,” he said, adding that Bar Association leaders had been informed of the matter and had expressed regret over the incident.
Khondaker Mostafa Sarwar Anu, editor of Doinik Dabanol, said obstructing a journalist’s professional work and snatching and throwing away his camera and boom could not be accepted under any circumstances. He said such behavior from lawyers was truly painful, and called on people from all walks of life, as well as organizational leaders, to help ensure the professional safety of journalists.