Attackers swoop on protesting journos in Dhaka, injuring 10

At least 10 journalists, who were sacked from the daily Janakantha recently, were injured in an attack during a protest in front of the newspaper office in Dhaka's Eskaton area this afternoon.

Three of the injured were said to be in critical condition, and were taken to Dhaka Community Hospital in Moghbazar, one of the 26 sacked journalists Bivash Barai told this newspaper.

The incident took place around 5:00pm when the journalists, along with some leaders of the journalist community, were protesting the wholesale termination from the Bangla daily, demanding to be reinstated.

They said they had been protesting against the termination of the 26 made through emails on March 15.

The protestors said they gathered in front of the Globe-Janakantha building around 12:30pm today and saw that the main entrance was locked. They also locked the gate from the outside and started a sit-in on the road in front of the building.

Dhaka Reporters' Unity President Mursalin Nomai, Dhaka Union of Journalists Joint Secretary Khairul Alam and other leaders of the two organisations joined the sit-in to express solidarity.

The protesters said as the people inside the building demanded the gate be opened in the afternoon, they unlocked it. At one stage, a group of people from inside the building attacked the protesting journalists with sticks, iron rod and bricks, leaving at least 10 injured, they said.

The protesters claimed that the attackers were outsiders.