By Rezaul Karim Jibon, Rangpur:
Media workers have announced a plan to boycott all positive news from Rangpur City Corporation and to surround the Rangpur Metropolitan Police Commissioner's office on Wednesday if the officials involved, including the Chief Executive Officer, are not removed and those involved are not arrested.
The program was announced during a human chain organized in front of the Rangpur Press Club on Monday (September 22) afternoon to protest the kidnapping of senior journalist Liaquat Ali Badal, taking him to the City Corporation, beating him, and later detaining and harassing journalists.
Rangpur Journalists Union-RPUJ President Salequzzaman Salek presided over the event and General Secretary Sarkar Mazharul Mannan moderated it. The following spoke at the event: Liaquat Ali Badal, Member Secretary of the victimized Rangpur Sammilit Journalists Society; Swapan Chowdhury, Bureau Chief of Dainik Samakal, President of Rangpur City Press Club; Rezaul Karim Manik, Joint General Secretary of Rangpur Reporters Club and Journalists Union; Rezaul Karim Manik, Bureau Chief of News24 TV; Fakhrul Shaheen, Bureau Chief of Rangpur Reporters Club Channel 24; Abdur Rashid Jiban, Organizing Secretary of Reporters Club Rangpur; Sharifa Begum Shiuli, President of Reporters Unity; Wadud Ali, Former General Secretary of Rangpur Press Club; SM Zakir Hossain, Coordinator of Rangpur Anti-Discrimination Journalists Movement; and others.
Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association Rangpur General Secretary of Daily Sakaler Bani Asaduzzaman Afzal, Television Camera Journalists Association Rangpur General Video Journalist Editor of Boishakhi Television Saiful Islam Mukul, Rangpur Online Journalists Association Convening Committee Member of Daily Kaler Kantho Digital Reporter Khushbu Ahmed Roni, Mahiganj Press Club President Bablu Nag, Gangachara Upazila Press Club President Abdul Alim Pramanik, Kaunia Press Club General Secretary Saidul Islam, Pirgachha Press Club General Secretary Abdul Quddus Sarkar, Mithapukur Press Club General Secretary Mehedi Hasan Ripul, Pirganj Press Club Habibur Rahman Habib, Rangpur Sadar Upazila Correspondent of 71 TV Mahbub Hossain Sumon, who was injured in the City Corporation, among others.
Expressing solidarity, the first joint coordinator of the Rangpur Metropolitan Coordination Committee of the Jatiya Nagorik Party-NCP, Alamgir Nayan, organizing secretary of the Rangpur district committee of the Amar Bangladesh Party, Rezwanul Bari, lawyer Palashkanti Nag, convener of the district corruption prevention committee, and others spoke at the event.
The speakers alleged that the kidnapping of journalist Badal and taking him to the CEO's room to force him to apologize for publishing news about an auto rickshaw license using the name of the July fighters is unprecedented. No action has been taken against those involved yet. Furthermore, in protesting the incident, officials and employees led by the CEO and the head of the Trade License Branch formed a mob and harassed journalists by locking them inside the city building. Not only that, they also showed the audacity to hold a procession against the journalists and demand their arrest.
The speakers also said that these incidents are against independent journalism. An attempt to suppress the voices of journalists. A party is trying to make controversial the government's various steps to implement the aspirations of the July Spirit by causing these incidents.
Later, RPUJ President Salekuzzaman Salek. He said, who has applied for auto rickshaw licenses in the name of July warriors. Their list and identity must be published.
Later, he announced the next program. He said, if the involved are not arrested by 12 midnight on Tuesday (September 23) and the officers and employees who created the mob, including Chief Executive Umme Fatema and Trade License Branch Head Mizanur Rahman Mizu, are not removed, the Police Commissioner's Office will be surrounded on Wednesday (September 24) noon. He also announced a program to stop broadcasting all positive news of the City Corporation and publish news of corruption and irregularities.
Organized by the Rangpur Sammilit Jangid Samaj, Rangpur Sangbadi Union-RPUJ, Press Club, City Press Club, Reporters Club, Reporters Unity, Bangladesh Photo Journalists Association, Television Camera Journalists Association, Online Journalists Association, Mahiganj Press Club, Pirgachha Press Club, Kaunia Press Club, Mithapukur Press Club, Badarganj Press Club, Gangachara Press Club and more than two hundred journalists working in the city and upazilas participated in the human chain.
Note: On September 17, journalist Badal was abducted from Kachari Bazar in the Sampriti Daily Sangbad for reporting a news story titled 'Auto rickshaw license in the name of July fighters in Rangpur, business worth 5 crore taka' and was taken to the city's Chief Executive Office to be forced to apologize for the news. After the journalists went there and rescued him, while they were returning after completing their work, the city corporation officials and employees formed a mob and blocked the main gate, harassing the journalists. The Rangpur journalist community is outraged by this incident.
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