AL men burn The Daily Star copies in Cox’s Bazar

Cox’s Bazar municipality unit Awami League leaders and activists yesterday burnt copies of The Daily Star, protesting a report run by the daily earlier this week under the headline “Bakkhali River in Cox’s Bazar: Grabbed by guardian”.

The copies were burnt at a human chain programme organised by the AL unit in front of the Deputy Commissioner’s office in the district.

Nozibul Islam and Uzzal Kor, the president and the general secretary of the unit, led the AL men in burning of the copies.

The report, published on January 27, said Cox’s Bazar Municipality Mayor Mujibur Rahman, also general secretary of Cox’s Bazar AL, serves in the district’s river conservation committee despite the fact that he was enlisted as a river grabber by the Bangladesh Inland Water Transport Authority.

According to the BIWTA, Mujibur grabbed at least 10,000 square feet of the Bakkhali, a key river in Cox’s Bazar, in Natun Baharchhora area of the town.

At the behest of the mayor, another portion of the river in Kosturighat area was being filled up by dumping waste collected from different areas of the town. It was happening despite a High Court order that had asked the municipality to stop dumping waste into the river.

The AL men also brought out a protest procession yesterday, alleging that the newspaper published the report out of animosity against Mujibur.

Asked about the issue, Sharif Jamil, general secretary of Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon, told The Daily Star that by burning the copies of the newspaper, the protesters were trying to save a river grabber.