Bangladesh: BNP workers assault journalist inside Khaleda Zia's office in Dhaka

Dhaka, Oct 20 (IANS) In yet another incident targeting journalists in Bangladesh, a local media reporter was physically assaulted by workers of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) at the party chairperson Khaleda Zia's Gulshan office in Dhaka, local media reported.

Jahidul Islam, a staff reporter with the daily newspaper 'Daily Amar Desh', came under attack on Sunday afternoon while filming inside the office, when a scuffle broke out among party aspirants from the Sylhet division.

"I had been at the BNP chairperson's Gulshan office since the morning, gathering news, talking to nomination seekers. Around 4:30 p.m., nomination seekers began quarrelling and scuffling with each other," Bangladesh's leading newspaper The Daily Star quoted Jahidul as saying.

"When I tried to take footage of the incident with my phone, three to four people dragged me inside a room and beat me. They broke my phone. When I showed my press ID card, they seized it and threw me out," he added.

Jahidul alleged that one of the assailants was Mohammad Faisal, an office staff member, who, according to him, works as the cameraman for the BNP's social media page.

"Faisal broke my phone and hit me. Then others also beat me and pushed me out of the office onto the main road," he said.

Reports suggest that several other local journalists were also subjected to harassment during the incident.

The incident triggered outrage among journalists who condemned the violence, vandalism of a reporter's mobile phone, and confiscation of his ID card as completely unacceptable.

"The person who led the attack and insult on my brothers at the Gulshan office today, including fellow journalist Jahidul, is Faisal. I have not seen this man since August 5. You can see it even if you look. He is incredibly influential. You can influence the party. But don't do it with journalists. I was hoping that BNP would immediately file a case against him and arrange for his arrest," Bangladesh's Bengali daily 'Jugantor' quoted Dhaka Mail Chief Reporter Borhan Uddin.

Last week, Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIM) expressed concern over a series of recent attacks on journalists across the country, allegedly involving local goons, charity owners, and even members of law enforcement agencies of the country.

BJIM strongly condemned these incidents, describing them as a "grave violation of press freedom and an alarming regression for media rights in Bangladesh".

--IANS

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