CRAB leadership condemns attacks on journos during New Market clashes

The Executive Committee of the Crime Reporters Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) has strongly condemned the barbaric attacks on journalists who were performing their professional duties at great risk anyway during the horrifying clashes between students of Dhaka College and traders in the New Market area since late Monday night.

CRAB members Asif Sumit, senior reporter of Dipta TV, and Jasim Mihir, Staff Reporter of Dhaka Post, were among those who came under attack.

The association’s president, Mirza Mehdi Tamal, and general secretary Asaduzzaman Biku in a statement demanded immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of the attackers.

Journalists were attacked in front of Dhaka College when they went there to collect news of clashes between students and businessmen. Among others, cameraperson of the Dipta TV Imran Hossain Lipu, MyTV reporter Danny Drong, SA TV reporter Tuhin, cameraperson Kabir Hossain, RTV cameraperson Sumon Dey, Daily Star photojournalist Prabir and the daily Aajker Kagoj ‘s reporter Alamin Raju were also injured while performing their professional duties during the attack.

In a statement, the leaders of CRAB said that those who attacked journalists while performing their professional duties, regardless of their identity, were terrorists. These terrorists are the enemies of the country and the nation, they said.

CRAB leaders demanded that those involved in the incident be immediately identified and brought under the law. Besides, they also called upon the law enforcement agencies to be more vigilant in providing security to the journalists.

Over 30 people including journalists and students were injured on Tuesday as students of Dhaka College locked into a series of clashes again with traders of New Market at Nilkhet intersection in the city.

The whole area turned into a scene from a warzone after a fresh clash erupted between them around 10 am as a sequel to Monday night’s events.

Source: United News of Bangladesh