Dhaka, Jun 25 (bdnews24.com) — Journalist organisations have declared ATN Bangla Chairman Mahfuzur Rahman 'unwanted' in the wake of scuffle during protest over his remarks on the killing of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi.
The announcement came a day after a scuffle took place between ATN Bangla reporters and journalists during a protest programme on Sunday.
At a human chain protest in front of the National Press Club on Monday, journalist leaders also called upon their colleagues to boycott all ATN Bangla programmes including its talk shows.
President of a faction of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury made the announcement on behalf of four associations of journalists.
The other faction of BFUJ, both factions of the Dhaka Union of Journalists, Dhaka Reporters' Unity and the leaders of National Press Club joined the protest.
The human chain was organised to protest the 'attack' made by several journalists of ATN Bangla and a reporter of Bengali daily The Bhorer Kagoj on Sunday.
Leaders attending the programme said that action would be taken against those 10 people (attackers) and from now on, they had been are declared 'unwanted' in the journalist community.
The 10 journalists are ATN Bangla Head of News Zahirul Islam Mamun, Chief News Editor Bhanuranjan Chakrabarty, Special Correspondent Shawkat Milton, Keramat Ullah Biplob, Manash Ghosh, Nadira Kiron, Mahmudur Rahman, Senior Reporter SM Babu, Rahat Minhaj and Bhorer Kagoj Reporter Shamim Ahmed.
Iqbal Sobhan also announced another programme of marching towards the office of the Prime Minister on Tuesday to demand arrest of the killers of Sagar-Runi.
Senior journalist ABM Musa urged journalists to remain united from the human chain. He has requested journalists to continue pressing the government until the killers of Sagar-Runi were punished.
The killing brought all the journalists association under the same banner in Feb to register their protest against the killing.
At one such protest on Sunday, journalists working at ATN Bangla became furious at Dhaka Sangbadik Union's Organising Secretary Jahangir Alam when he castigated the private television channel's one of the owners Mahfuzur Rahman for passing a controversial comment about the journalist couple.
Ultimately, the incident ended up in a scuffle among the journalists.
"Journalists of one institution will not be able to destroy the unity of the entire community," said DRU President Shakhawat Hossain Badsha.
"Those stabbing in the back of the journalists' movement must be identified," he added.
President of a faction of the Dhaka Sangbadik Union Omar Faruque also demanded that Mahfuzur Rahman be arrested for airing news reports in violation of journalistic ethics.
"Yesterday's (Sunday) attack was made following the order of Mahfuzur Rahman to divert the peaceful agitation," he added.
Secretary General of a faction of the Federal Sangbadik Union Shawkat Mahmud dubbed Mahfuzur Rahman 'enemy of mass media'.
President of a faction of Federal Sangbadik Union Ruhul Amin Gazi said ATN Bangla had committed an unforgivable offence by airing a part of what had happened on Sunday.
The ATN Bangla chief on May 30 told a rally in London that the slain couple was 'victim of an extra-marital affair' and that he had a video footage and information on the matter.
The comment drew flak from various quarters communities including journalists.
A procession was also taken out after the human chain programme.
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