A Dhaka court on Sunday remanded in police custody two journalists of a
private television, who were beaten by Awami Juba League and handed over
to the police, for four days for interrogation.
Witnesses said that RTV staff correspondent Tanzib Rony and cameraperson
Prashanta Modak were beaten by the activists of the ruling Awami
League-backed youth organisation at the capital’s Kamrangirchar in the
morning while they were on duty to cover the 72-hour blockade being
enforced by the Bangladesh Nationalist Party led alliance.
RTV staff reporter Khan Al-Amin told New Age that Tanzib and Prashanta
were assigned to cover the blockade in Kamrangirchar area.
At about 7:30am the opposition activists tried to bring out a procession
front in front of a local hospital at Kamrangirchar. The pickets,
however, left the spot immediately after explosion of two crude bombs
and the journalists were taking footage of the scene, the witnesses
said.
They said that suddenly Juba League activist appeared the spot and
assaulted the journalists and then handed them over to the police, the
witnesses said.
The two journalists were detained at the Kamrangirchar police station
for seven hours and then a shopkeeper filed a case against 15 people
including Tamzid and Proshanta for the explosions.
Kamrangirchar police officer-in-charge, however, claimed that they
rescued the two journalists from the mob who were attempting to beat
them on allegation of instigating bomb blasts.
At afternoon, the police produced them before the court and metropolitan
magistrate Tariq Mainul Islam Bhuiyan remained Tamzid and Proshanta in
police custody.
The court also rejected a petition moved by several lawyers seeking bail for Tamzid and Proshnta.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists faction president Ruhul Amin Gazi, and secretary general Shawkat Mahmud
and Dhaka Union of Journalists faction president Abdul Hai Shikder and
general secretary Jahangir Alam in separate statements condemned the
arrest and remand of the two RTV journalists.
A release signed by RTV chief news editor Lutfar Rahman, said that
Tamzid and Proshanta were assigned to cover the blockade in the old
Dhaka including Kamrangirchar area and they were assaulted anti-blockade
activists while they were discharging their duties.
The private television demanded immediate release of their two journalists.
In the statements, they said that the government showed its autocratic attitude by the remand of the two journalists in custody.
Earlier, police assaulted reporters of private television channels and
damaged equipments of two channels while raiding the headquarters of BNP
to arrest the party joint secretary general Ruhul Kabir Rizvi on early
Saturday. (source)