Journo beaten by ruling party men

A senior journalist was beaten up allegedly by some ruling party men in Sarishabari upazila yesterday.

The victim, Jahurul Islam Thandu, 50, of Satpua village, also Sarishabari upazila correspondent of Bangla daily Jugantor since 1999, is now undergoing treatment at Jamalpur General Hospital.

Injured Thandu said a group of local Jubo League men led by its upazila unit president Ashraful Islam attacked him when the viva exams for recruitment of MLSS-cum-night guard posts at 20 government primary schools was about to start at the office of the upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) around 10:30am.

Seeing him as one of the viva board members, the Jubo League men became angry and started shouting to get him ousted from the board, Thandu said, adding that as he came out of board room the Jubo League men punched and kicked him indiscriminately, leaving him badly injured.

People present at the UNO office premises rescued him and took him to Sarishabari Upazila Health Complex, from where he was later shifted to Jamalpur General Hospital for better treatment, victim's family members said.

UNO Saiful Islam said Thandu attended the viva board as an entitled member and a representative of Sarishabari Upazila Parishad Chairman Faridul Kabir Talukdar Shamim.

This correspondent tried to reach Ashraful over phone for his comment in this regard but his cellphone was found off.