Step to stop newsmen harassment during curfew hours urged

FE Team | Published: August 24, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00

Leaders of the journalistsâ€™ associations have expressed deep concern over the harassment of newsmen by the law enforcers during the curfew hours Wednesday night and Thursday.
In separate statements Thursday, they requested the authorities concerned to take appropriate steps so that no journalists are subjected to any harassment during discharging their professional duties, reports UNB.
Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU), Crime Reporters' Association of Bangladesh (CRAB) and Commonwealth Journalists Association, Bangladesh (CJA,B) issued identical statements to draw immediate attention of the authorities concerned to the plight of the newsmen.
Meanwhile, bdnews24.com report adds: The police have released up to 12 journalists, two hours after their arrest during the curfew Wednesday night, police and reporters said.
Senior Sub-editor of the bdnews24.com Asif Ahmed Rommo, who was arrested along with two colleagues, phoned the office from home after his release.
"I walked home. We were kept at Mohammadpur police station for two hours," Rommo said.
Mohammadpur police Sub-inspector Muktar Hossain told the news agency that all the journalists were freed.
Scores of journalists were arrested or beaten by the army during the first few hours of the curfew.
Army officers arrested three journalists-Liton Haider, Biplob Rahman and Rommo-as they were heading towards residences after work.
They were stopped at a checkpoint, 200 metres from the bdnews24.com office in Dhanmondi.
After the arrest, the driver of the auto-rickshaw they were travelling, returned and informed the office that the three were taken away by uniformed officers even after they showed their press identity (ID) cards.
Earlier, a group of army personnel beat two bdnews24.com journalists as they were standing outside their office with colleagues.
The army also severely beat New Age photographer Sanaul Haque, Acting Chief Reporter Shahiduzzaman told the news agency.
Head of news for private TV channel Baishakhi Anis Alamgir was also arrested and taken to Mohammadpur police station.
Abdul Majid, a journalist of Samokal, was also arrested and taken to Mohammadpur police station. It was not clear where he was arrested from.
In a statement earlier in the day, the government said people who were required to travel during the curfew must collect passes from the metropolitan police authorities for safe passage.
"But if somebody fails to collect passes from the police, he can use a passport, an air ticket, an ID card or other documents for the time being," the government said.