Chronicle of press horror

The southwestern region has emerged as a hotbed of violence against journalists in recent years with at least eight death counts in the last six years.

Manik Chandra Saha, bombed to death 20 yards off Khulna Press Club yesterday, was the latest addition to the chronicle of killings.

The killings continued to soar in the region despite government assurance of security, striking terror into people, but the perpetrators went scot-free.

The killing of Haroon-or-Rashid, 44, of the local daily Purbanchal, on March 2, 2002 sent a shock wave through the region, prompting Home Minister Altaf Hossain Chowdhury to promise quick actions to arrest the killers and help the victim's family.

The pledges still go unmet.

He often covered the criminal activities by leftist extremists.

Journalist Shukkur Hossain, 40, of the regional daily Anirban was abducted from home and gunned down on the river Ghangrail in Khulna on July 5, 2002.

His body was never found.

Journalist Nahar Ali was killed in April 2001 near his home in Dumuria. No-one of the six accused of killing him was tried.

Saiful Alam Mukul, editor of the Jessore-based Runner, was killed in 1998.

Mir Illias Hossain, editor of the local daily Bir Darpan, was killed in January 2000.

SM Allaudin, editor of the local weekly Ogrodoot, was killed in the region in 1996.

Shamsur Rahman, Jessore correspondent of the daily Janakantha, was gunned down at work on July 16, 2000.

Local police submitted a supplementary chargesheet on September 10 last year in a move criticised by the victim's wife as a ploy to hide the real criminals.