Bangladesh Chhatra League leader beats up bdnews24.com’s DU correspondent

A Bangladesh Chhatra League leader has allegedly assaulted bdnews24.com’s Dhaka University correspondent Tapon Kanti Roy on the campus.

Roy has sustained serious ear injuries in Wednesday’s assault.

BCL Assistant Secretary Pial Hasan is an alumnus of the mass communication and journalism department. He happened to be also the university  correspondent for daily Shokaler Khobor.

He had been expelled from the Dhaka University Journalists’ Association for accepting a Chhatra League post in violation of the association's organisational code of conduct.

Roy, a fourth-year journalism student, was shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital on Wednesday evening after preliminary treatment at the university medical centre.

Roy said Hasan was pressuring him to run some news on bdnews24.com. "He had emailed me several reports and wanted me to publish them. I refused on professional ground, saying that lobbying won’t help in getting them published.”

When he refused to oblige, Roy said Hasan got into an altercation when they met near on the campus on Wednesday.

"You have become very disrespectful to your seniors. What will you do if I beat you up?” Roy continued.

“No one will be able to stop me if I kill you," Hasan allegedly threatened, and started landing punches.

Eyewitness and Dainik Samakal’s DU Correspondent Reza Akash told bdnews24.com that Hasan left the scene after beating up Roy.

When contacted, Hasan told bdnews24.com that the incident had nothing to do with news.

"It relates to a Pahela Baishakh feast organised under the leadership of Reza Akash.”

“Tapon behaved discourteously over phone when I called him on Pahela Baishakh (Apr 14) regarding the event. When I recounted the incident today, he attacked me and hurled abuses,” he claimed.

DUJA President Ashrafur Rahman has demanded action by Chhatra League against Hasan for beating up Roy, a member of the association.

The ruling party’s student wing is apparently trying to distance itself from the incident.

BCL President Saifur Rahman Sohag said Pial Hasan is also a journalist and that it is a case of one journalist beating up another.

"If, however, he or anyone else tried to use the clout of Chhatra League (in today's incident), we will take strict action," he told bdnews24.com.