Journalists of all levels in Kushtia district have surrounded the court premises in protest at a violent attack on the journalist Mahbub Ul Ahsan Ullash while he was gathering news in Kumarkhali, demanding the arrest of those involved and an end to what they called a drama of arrest and bail.
The programme was carried out peacefully at around midday on Monday (September 21). Earlier, journalists were met with police obstruction when they tried to enter the court premises after 11am. Police closed the main gate of the chief judicial magistrate’s court building at that point.
Although the journalists sought cooperation in carrying out a peaceful programme, there was no response at first. After a long argument with the police, court inspector Zahirul Islam spoke to the journalists. He said the main gate of the court had been kept closed in the interests of maintaining a peaceful environment.
Additional superintendent of police Faisal Mahmud later came to the scene on hearing of the matter and spoke to the journalists. He too declined to open the gate. At one point the angry journalists entered the court grounds despite the police obstruction, where they held a protest march and rally.
Those who spoke at the rally included former Kushtia Press Club president Al Mamun Sagar, former secretary Abu Moni Zubayed Ripon, former general secretary Anisuzzaman Dablu, former press club vice-president Lutfor Rahman Kumar, Somoyer Kagoj editor Abu Bakkar Siddique, Kumarkhali Press Club general secretary Lipu Khondokar, and the journalists Hasan Ali and K M R Shahin, among others.
Speakers said the accused in the case filed over the beating and bloody injury of the journalist Mahbub Ul Ahsan Ullash while he was gathering news in Kumarkhali have still not been arrested. They described the arrest of two accused named in the first information report, on charges of attempted murder and robbery, and their release on bail after being produced in court, as a staged drama. They also sharply criticised what they called the mysterious role of the Kushtia administration in the matter.
Journalist leaders said attacks on journalists, intimidation or the use of influence cannot stop the publication of truthful, just and objective news. Those who carried out the attack must be arrested immediately, they said, or the district’s journalists will this time build not only protest but resistance.
The rally demanded the swift arrest of those involved in the attack on the journalist Ullash and an end to the so-called drama being conducted in the name of arrest and bail.
The journalist Ullash was attacked on Saturday (September 19) afternoon while gathering information in Kumarkhali municipal area on allegations that substandard materials were being used in road construction work. He filed a case at Kumarkhali police station that evening. The case names 11 people and a further 20 to 25 unidentified people as accused.