Juba League leaders assault journalists

Two local leaders of the Juba League, youth front of the ruling Awami League, have allegedly assaulted three reporters covering the Thakurgaon Sadar Upazila election.

Thakurgaon Correspondentbdnews24.com
Published : 16 April 2014, 06:36 PM
Updated : 16 April 2014, 06:36 PM

The incident happened at the Thakurgaon Road Girls’ High School centre on Wednesday afternoon.

Sadar Police Station OC Firoj Khan confirmed to bdnews24.com the assault on the journalists.

He said injured reporter Ratan Sarker was first admitted to the Thakurgaon General Hospital under police guard and then shifted to the Rangpur Medical Collage Hospital.

Ratan is the Rangpur bureau chief of the private TV channel, Somoy. The two others wished not to be named.

bdnews24.com Correspondent, who was present at the spot, said district Juba League general secretary A Majid Apel and member Samir Uddin got into an altercation with journalists when Somoy TV was broadcasting the Upazila polls scene live.

At one stage, they severely beat Ratan in the presence of police.

Ratan said he was assaulted as the TV channel was broadcasting live the scene of ballot snatching by leaders and activists of the Awami League and Juba League.

Apel did not take calls made for his version of the incident.

OC Firoj denied police inaction during the incident and said the law enforcers rescued the injured journalists and admitted them to hospital.