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Published : 30 Apr 2025, 01:39 AM
Private broadcaster Deepto TV has briefly suspended its news broadcasts following a heated confrontation between journalists and Cultural Affairs Advisor Mostofa Sarwar Farooki during a press briefing.
The fallout extended beyond the channel, with three journalists from different outlets losing their jobs in the aftermath of the incident.
On Tuesday, a day after the clash, Deepto TV announced the suspension through a news scroll. However, the station resumed its bulletins at 11 the same night.
In a parallel move, the private TV station dismissed senior broadcast journalist Mizanur Rahman, deepening the controversy.
ATN Bangla also dismissed its Special Correspondent Fazle Rabbi, citing previous breaches of office discipline, although the action closely followed his conduct at the same press event.
Meanwhile, Channel i Online announced via its Facebook page that Senior Correspondent Rafiqul Bashar had been removed. The outlet cited an ongoing investigation into "lack of professionalism" during the press briefing as the reason for his dismissal.
Amid growing discussion over the matter on Tuesday, Information Advisor Mahfuj Alam told reporters at the Secretariat that the interim government had not ordered Deepto TV to suspend its news operations.
He claimed that the decision was made by the channel itself after one of its journalists posed a question “supporting genocide”.
The incident took place on Monday when Farooki appeared at the Secretariat to brief the media on the selection of the short film “Ali” for the 78th Cannes Film Festival.
During the post-briefing question-and-answer session, journalists raised several issues, including the UNESCO recognition of the renamed "Ananda Shobhajatra" that replaced the "Mongol Shobhajatra", the use of masks resembling deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina in the procession, and the number of casualties during the July Uprising.
What began as a routine interaction turned tense, with Farooki eventually rising from his seat to respond to the reporters.
Following the conference, a Facebook page named “July Revolutionary Alliance – JRA” posted photos of the three journalists involved, accusing them of siding with “fascists” during Farooki’s briefing.
A subsequent post from the same page warned, “If action is not taken within 24 hours against these three journalists, we will march to Deepto TV, Channel i, ATN Bangla.”
Soon after, news emerged of Deepto TV’s broadcast suspension and the dismissals or forced resignations of the three journalists.
The JRA page also published what appeared to be termination letters.
Speaking at the Secretariat on Tuesday evening, Mahfuj reiterated that the government had not intervened.
“A journalist posed a question that seemingly supported genocide. Following that, Deepto TV suspended its news segment on its own. The government made no calls, no instructions were given.”
“Yet people are thinking the government did it because Deepto TV fired someone and shut down its newsroom,” he added.
