2 journos beaten by police during anti-Rampal plant hartal

One of the policemen was holding him from his front while another grabbed his hair tight before kicking his back mercilessly. On his knees and his shirt torn off, he was surrounded by several policemen and beaten up inside the Shahbagh Police Station, a photograph shows.

This was how cameraperson Abdul Alim was physically assaulted by police while covering yesterday's shutdown enforced by the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports.

As Alim's colleague came forward to protect him, police also beat up Ishan Bin Didar, a reporter. Both of them work for private television channel ATN News. Alim had three stitches on his right eyebrow and Ishan too took treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Several photographs of the police torture went viral on social networks, sparking huge criticism with many demanding punishment of the policemen responsible.

The national committee enforced the eight-hour shutdown from 6:00am yesterday in the capital to press home its demand of scrapping Rampal Power Plant project near the Sundarbans. But police used tear gas, water cannon and charged batons on the demonstrators in the capital's Shahbagh to disperse them.

Narrating the ordeal, Alim told The Daily Star over phone that, "I was on-duty to cover the hartal. Around 12:45pm, I was standing beside Shahbagh Police Station gate. Suddenly, a pro-hartal activist was trying to climb up the water cannon truck of police."

"But police picked up the protester and took him inside the police station while beating him up. I was taking footage of the incident and entered the police station," he said.

"At one stage, some policemen started shouting, saying the journalist is taking footage of us, catch him. Within a moment, around 15 to 20 policemen swooped on me and started beating me up," Alim said.

"Seeing this, my colleague Ishan Bin Didar came to the spot to rescue me. But policemen also beat him up," he said.

Meanwhile, police authorities suspended Assistant Sub-Inspector Ershad of Shahbagh Police Station for his alleged involvement in the assault.

Besides, 12 other policemen were initially found involved in the incident and an inquiry was going on, Maruf Hossain Sorder, deputy commissioner (Ramna division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star. A three-member probe committee, led by additional deputy commissioner (Ramna division) of DMP Navid Kamal Shaibal, has been formed to investigate the incident.

The ATN News authorities sent a written complaint to Shahbagh Police Station against four policemen, including ASI Ershad, and several other policemen without naming, said Abu Bakar Siddique, officer-in-charge of the police station.  In a press release, Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust condemned the incident of beating up the journalists.