No action yet against identified constables
Case over journo assault still to be recorded
Staff Reporter
Despite police claims that the probe committee formed to investigate the alleged assaults on the two ATN News journalists is working restlessly, no action has been taken so far against the nine identified constables. The injured journalists, another witness and even the police authorities themselves have reportedly identified nine constables, including Moklessor, Hossain Kabir and Sobuj Khan. However, no action had been taken against them until 7.30 pm yesterday. Talking to The Independent, deputy police commissioner (Ramna division) Maruf Hossain Sarder said: We had a meeting on Sunday. After our next meeting on Monday, we shall prepare our report.
We are analysing all the pictures and footage from different media outlets, he added. Apart from ASI Ershad, we have identified several others, the DC said, adding that some policemen may face permanent suspension if the allegations are proved and others may be temporary suspended.
About recording the complaint submitted by the ATN News authorities, a senior police officer said: After getting the probe committee report, the decision to record the case would be finalised.
A group of policemen had assaulted ATN News cameraperson Abdul Alim and reporter Eshan Didar when they were covering a police crackdown on a strike called by the National Oil, Gas and Ports Protection Committee at Shahbagh on Thursday. The DMP has suspended assistant sub-inspector Ershad of Shahbagh police station for his alleged involvement in the assault, claiming that he is the only constable to have been identified so far.
Journalists agitated over the police assault on two media persons have announced a fresh protest programme near Kawranbazar intersection on February 2 to demand exemplary punishment for the guilty policemen.
The announcement was made at a protest rally at Shahbagh intersection on Saturday.
The protesting journalists said they were not against police or other forces, but wanted punishment for the guilty police personnel.
The protesters dismissed the Dhaka Metropolitan Polices (DMP) action against the accused as eyewash. They said the authorities must punish them in an exemplary manner.
More than 2,000 journalists attended the protest programme, which began at 11am and ended half-an-hour later.
Bangladesh Federal Journalists Association (BFUJ) president Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, former president of Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) Shahed Chowdhury, National Press Club joint secretary Elias Khan, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) general secretary Sohel Haider Chowdhury, ATNs head of news Munni Saha, Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) president Abu Saleh Akon, general secretary Sarwar Alam and former CRAB general secretary Kamruzzaman Khan were among those who attended the protest rally. However, no journalist organisation, except CRAB and Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra, expressed solidarity with the protest rally.
The rallyists also criticised the home minister for terming the police assault as collision, and not torture. Bulbul said: The minister must withdraw his controversial remark. We cant accept such a comment from him.
Shahed Chowdhury, also the joint secretary of National Press Club, said: A minister termed the police attack on journalists as an international conspiracy. If it is a global conspiracy, please form a probe committee of international standards to find the conspirators. Referring to numerous incidents of guilty policemen being left off, the ATN News boss said, If policemen get promotion after assaulting journalists, we shall give up our cameras and microphones and stand here. They can them come and attack us to get promotions.
