Dhaka hospital staff assault TV reporter, cameraman

Enraged by attempt to gather information on a hospital in Dhaka, a group of its staff have assaulted a TV reporter and cameraman.

RTV reporter Sohel Rana and cameraman Nazmul Hossain Saimon came under attack while on duty at Mugda Medical College and Hospital on Tuesday afternoon.

Sohel alleged ward-boy Md Asif led the attackers. The reporter also filed a general diary at Mugda Police Station over the incident.

Different news media are prioritising health sector in their coverage as the government recently bolstered drive against truant doctors and irregularities at hospitals.

Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina recently said the doctors must agree to work in district-level hospitals or face action. The Anti-Corruption Commission conducted drives in hospitals and found many of the doctors absent.  

Sohel told bdnews24.com that the security guards at the Mugda hospital barred him and asked him to take permission from the director first to collect information on Tuesday.

When he went to the director’s office for the permission, the director said no journalist would be allowed there as “journalists are the reason behind the prime minister’s tough stance against truant doctors”.

The hospital staff again barred him when he was taking statements of the patients and their relatives outside the hospital.

At one stage, Asif and others started punching and kicking Sohel and Saimon. The attackers also broke the camera lens.  

Videos posted on the social media show how they came under attack.

Mugda Police Station Inspector Masudur Rahman told bdnews24.com that they were investigating the incident.

Several journalist organisations, including Dhaka Reporters Unity and Dhaka Union of Journalists,   have condemned the attack and demanded punishment of the attackers.