Cops assault journo inside police station

Some members of the district Government Railway Police (GRP) allegedly beat up a cameraman of a private television channel in the GRP Police Station yesterday.

The victim is Al Amin Talukdar, 34, a cameraman of Jamuna Television.

Witnesses said Al Amin, who came to Dinajpur to celebrate Eid with his family members, was waiting at the platform of the station to collect tickets for returning to Dhaka when Assistant Sub-Inspector (ASI) of the police station Yousuf Ali, who was in plainclothes, pushed him from behind.

As Al Amin protested, Yousuf dragged him into the police station where the policemen slapped him indiscriminately and threatened to implicate him in drug peddling cases.

Al Amin told this correspondent that the policemen became furious when he identified himself as a video journalist. “They threw away my identity card when I showed it to them,” he added.

Hearing about the incident, local media workers rushed to the spot and rescued Al Amin.

The victim filed a written complaint with the police station yesterday.

Officer-in-Charge of the police station Saidur Rahman said his department closed the ASI for the incident.

The journalists in the district condemned the incident.

Dinajpur Press Club President Swarup Kumar Bakshi said attacks on pressmen by members of law enforcement agencies have increased in the country recently. Torturing any person inside a police station is a serious offense, he added.

He hailed the prompt action of closing the accused ASI and urged the police to launch an investigation as more policemen were involved in beating Al Amin.

Television Camerajournalists' Association of Dinajpur also condemned the attack.