Journalist brutally killed in Bangladesh

CHT DESK

A journalist in Jamalpur district of Bangladesh has been killed in an attack by miscreants.

The victim was identified as Golam Rabbani Nadim who died while undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital at around 2:30pm on Thursday.

He came under attack at Pathatiya area in Jamalpur’s Bakshiganj upazila at around 10:00pm on Wednesday when he was returning home after office work.

Journalist Golam Rabbani was Jamalpur district correspondent of ‘Banglanews24.com’ and Bakshiganj upazila correspondent of Ekattor TV of the country.

He was son of Abdul Karim of Gomer Char village under Nilakhia union of the Bakshiganj upazila.

A group of miscreants attacked him at Pathatiya area and beat him up mercilessly said locals and family members.

Golam Rabbani’s wife Manira Begum alleged that some supporters of Sadhurpara Union Parishad chairman Mahmudul Alam Babur attacked Nadim and killed him as he was displeased for publishing a news item. The UP chairman had harassed him earlier.

On reaching Pathatiya, Nadeem was suddenly hit from the front and thrown from the moving motorcycle. After that, 10-12 people dragged him to a dark alley while beating him from the road with native weapons and beat him indiscriminately, said one of his colleagues Al Mujahid Babu to the journalist who was along with Nadeem.

As the attackers left him unconscious, locals rescued and took the critically injured journalist to Bakshiganj upazila health complex. As his condition deteriorated, he was shifted to Jamalpur General Hospital at night and Mymensingh Medical College Hospital on Thursday morning.  He died while undergoing treatment at MMCH at around 2:30pm.

Local journalist sources said Mahmudul, also general secretary of Sadhurpara union Awami League, filed a case against Nadim and another journalist under the Digital Security Act with Mymensingh Cyber Tribunal on May 14, four days after Nadim’s report was published on Banglanews24.com.

Recently, the cyber tribunal summarily dismissed the case.

Nadim and the other journalist came to know about the case dismissal yesterday, hours before he was attacked, according to his family and sources at the court.

Asked, Jamalpur’s police superintendent Nasir Uddin Ahmed told the journalist that the attackers were identified through CCTV footage.

Mohammad Sohel Rana, officer-in-charge of Bakshiganj Police Station, said they have so far detained three men in connection with the killing. 

Police are investigating the murder. Filing of a case is underway, he said.

Jamalpur Journalist Forum-Dhaka has strongly condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment for those involved.

They demanded the law enforcement agencies to immediately arrest those involved in the murder and provide exemplary punishment.

After several times attempt UP chairman Mahmudul Alam’s mobile phone was found switched off when contacted for comments on the allegation.