Bappa’s GD against Mahmudur

One of the organisers of Ganajagaran Mancha at Shahbagh, Bappaditya Basu, on Sunday filed a police complaint against Bengali daily Amar Desh and its Acting Editor Mahmudur Rahman for ‘running false and motivated’ reports that are generating death threats against him.

Basu, also President of Bangladesh Chhatra Maitri, filed the general diary (GD) at Shahbagh Police Station.

His GD read, “Daily Amar Desh is running false and motivated news reports on me that are creating an environment for my murder. Also my family and I are receiving constant death threats.”

That was why he was seeking legal measures for his and his family’s safety, the GD read.

The protesters at Shahbagh have been alleging that the Bengali daily has been running aggressive reports against those who are demonstrating for the last 19 days in demand for death penalty to all convicted war criminals, including Jamaat-e-Islami leader Abdul Quader Molla, and a ban on Jamaat.

Amar Desh on Feb 12 ran a report on Basu with the headline which read, “Murderer Bappaditya Basu leading Shahbagh”.

The report blamed Basu for the death of Jamaat and its student affiliate Islami Chhatra Shibir in a clash on Oct 28, 2006, at the capital’s Paltan. The newspapers also alleged Basu was involved with extremist politics.

The BNP-leaning daily also ran a series of articles against several other organisers of the Ganajagaran Mancha.

Basu claimed the allegations brought up in those writing were ‘completely false’ and a part of a conspiracy to kill him.

He told bdnews24.com: “Mahmudur Rahman is publishing such false information in his newspaper to create a ground for another murder following the murder of Shahbagh movement organiser and blogger Ahmed Rajib Haider.”

The protesters from the Prajanma Chattar had demanded arrest of Mahmudur Rahman after activists of some anti-Shahbagh movement parties had unleashed a wave of mayhem across the country including capital Dhaka after Friday’s Juma prayers.

Four people were killed and many more injured as the they fought pitched battles with police and launched attacks on journalists. They also attacked the Ganajagaran Manchas in several districts and Shaheed Minars in Sylhet and Feni.

Police, however, said the Jamaat was behind these atrocious attacks. Home Minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir also expressed similar views.

Meanwhile, Mahmudur Rahman on Saturday was implicated in five cases for whipping up religious passions and incitement to cause public disorder. The cases were filed at Ramna and Shahbagh police stations.