Journalists to rally on Mar 18

Dhaka, Mar 1 (bdnews24.com) — Journalists will hold a 'grand rally' in Dhaka on Mar 18 as part of their ongoing countrywide demonstrations demanding arrest and trial of the killers of journalist couple Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi.

Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, president of a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), announced on Thursday that the rally will be staged at the National Press Club premises.

A six-hour token hunger strike from 10am was staged there to mount pressure on authorities to identify, arrest and try the killers of the duo as per a previous announcement. Journalists across the country also staged similar programme.

In the lead-up to the rally, journalists will hold gatherings in the districts on Mar 15 where the central leaders will be present.

On Feb 21, they staged a one-hour strike as police are yet to identify or arrest anyone in the case even 19 days after the brutal murders.

The journalist leaders reacted angrily to the recent High Court directives on running news over the murder during the strike.

Former president of National Press Club and English daily News Today editor Riazuddin Ahmed, former Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists president Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul,

columnist Syed Abul Moksud were among those who spoke at the programme.

Journalists from all media outlets took part in Thursday's protest programme called by four journalist organisations — BFUJ, Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ), National Press Club and Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU).

President of BFUJ faction Ruhul Amin Gazi, president of a faction of DUJ Abdus Shahid, general secretary of the other DUJ faction Shaban Mahmud, DRU president Sakhawat Hossain Badshah and general secretary Sazzad Alam Khan Tapu joined strike along with other journalists.

Economic Reporters' Forum, Crime Reporters' Associationand sevel other professional journalist bodies have expressed solidarity with the programmes.

Announcing the work abstention and hunger strike from a rally on Feb 22, Sobhan Chowdhury had threatened to declare bigger protest programmes if the assailants were not arrested even after that.

On Feb 11, Maasranga Television news editor Golam Mostofa Sarowar, alias Sagar Sarowar, and his wife, ATN Bangla senior reporter Meherun Nahar Runi, were found murdered at their rented flat in the city's west Rajabazar.

Police are yet to arrest anyone or name any suspect over the murder.

On Sunday, the investigators said they are 'almost certain' about the motive behind the killings of the journalist couple but cannot disclose it for the sake of the investigation.

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