Media workers held a protest outside the Metropolitan Police Commissioner’s office demanding the arrest of the accused in the case of kidnapping and torturing senior journalist Liaquat Ali Badal in the City Corporation and trying to force him to apologize to the CEO, and creating a mob to beat and harass journalists.
From there, they gave an ultimatum to arrest the kidnappers and attackers within three days. They held this program on Wednesday (September 24) afternoon under the banner of the United Journalists’ Association.
More than two hundred media workers, including Rangpur Journalists Union-RPUJ, Press Club, City Press Club, Reporters Club, Reporters Unity, Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association, Television Camera Journalists Association, Online Journalists Association, participated in it.
Rangpur Journalists Union-RPUJ President Salequzzaman Salek presided over the event and General Secretary Sarkar Mazharul Mannan moderated it. The following spoke at the event: Liaquat Ali Badal, Member Secretary of the Victims’ Union of Rangpur Journalists, Rangpur City Press Club President Swapan Chowdhury, Bureau Chief of Daily Samakal, former President of Rangpur Press Club Mahbub Rahman Habu, Joint General Secretary of Rangpur Reporters Club and Journalists Union, Rezaul Karim Manik, Bureau Chief of News24 TV, Nazmul Alam Nishat, Bureau Chief of Somoy Television, Touhidul Islam Babla, Executive Editor of Daily Prothom Khabor, Abdur Rashid Jiban, Organizing Secretary of Reporters Club Rangpur, Sharifa Begum Shiuli, President of Reporters Unity and Convener of Bangladesh Press Club, SM Zakir Hossain, Coordinator of Rangpur Anti-Discrimination Journalists’ Movement, Asaduzzaman Afzal, General Secretary of Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association Rangpur, Television Camera Journalists Association Joint General Secretary Rakibul Islam Rocky, Prothom Alo’s own reporter Zahir Raihan Jewel, and now the television’s bureau chief Mukarram Hossain, among others.
They alleged that the case was filed by presenting specific allegations and evidence. Only 2 people have been arrested. The other accused are roaming around in public. They are sharing live on social media. They are trying to file cases against journalists by going to the police station. The city corporation has discharged the responsibility by transferring only 3 people to eyewash. This is worrying.
Later, Police Commissioner Md. Majid Ali came to the journalists’ encirclement program. A memorandum was handed over to him from the encirclement program. It gave a three-day ultimatum to arrest the accused. Otherwise, it was announced that a continuous movement would be launched.
The memorandum states that on September 21, around 11 am, 20/25 terrorists led by a young man named Rocky, who was posing as a ‘July warrior’, kidnapped Liaqat Ali Badal, a member secretary of the Rangpur Sammilit Jangid Samaj, and a senior reporter of Ekushey Television, Dainik Sangbad and Bangla Tribune, from Kachari Bazar in the city, kidnapped him in an auto rickshaw and beat him up, demanding that he admit his mistake in reporting the news and apologize to the Chief Executive Officer of the City Corporation. They took journalist Badal to the main gate of the City Corporation, dragged him down from there and tortured him, then took him to the second floor of the new building in front of the office of the Chief Executive Officer and tortured him. The journalists, upon receiving the news, rescued him and held a sit-in program under the building. When the journalists were ready to leave after finishing the sit-in program, some identified officers and employees of the City Corporation blocked the main gate and tortured him again. The memorandum states that in this incident, journalist Liaquat Ali Badal filed a case against 14 people including City Corporation CEO Umme Fatema, Trade License Branch Head Mizanur Rahman Mizu, former councilor Liton Parvez and 20/25 unidentified persons. But so far, only accused 5 and 6 have been arrested. But the other accused are roaming around in public. They are going live on Facebook. They are participating in human chains and are creating havoc in the name of journalists. The accused are trying to go to the police station and file cases in the name of journalists. They are trying to escalate the situation by lying and threatening in various ways.
The journalist community is deeply concerned and anxious and suffering from insecurity. The memorandum states that if the named and unknown accused are not arrested within the next three days through the Gehrao program and the charge sheet is not filed as soon as possible, strict action will be taken continuously.
In this regard, Rangpur Journalists Union-RPU President Salequzzaman Salek said, “If the accused are not arrested within the next three days and the involved officers and employees of the City Corporation are not removed, we will go on a continuous movement.” Police Commissioner Md. Majid Ali came down from his office to the place where the journalists were surrounded.
He accepted the memorandum and said that two people have been arrested so far. One has given a statement under Section 164. The names of some of the people behind the incident have also been mentioned. The remaining accused will be arrested quickly and a charge sheet will be issued as soon as possible.
On September 17, Liaquat Ali Badal published a news article in the daily Sangbad titled “Auto license in Rangpur named after July fighter, they are on the verge of a five-crore business.” He was kidnapped, beaten and abused in unspeakable language for refusing to admit his mistake for the news he published.
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