2 TV journos beaten up in Bogura while collecting information for report

Two journalists of a private TV news channel were allegedly beaten up by miscreants while they were collecting information on a report covering the irregularities in a state-run rehabilitation project in Bogura Sadar upazila today.

The victims are: Majedur Rahman, Somoy TV reporter in Bogura, and cameraperson Rabiul Islam.

The incident occurred around 11:30am at Dashtika area under the upazila when they were working on a report on irregularities in the Asroyon Prokolpo. On information, police rescued the injured journalists and admitted them to the Bogura Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Medical College Hospital around 2:00pm. Of them, Rabiul remained unconscious till 2:00pm, police said.

"Majedur and Rabiul Islam are doing well now and are out of danger. There are some marks of assault on their body," Abdul Wadud, deputy director of the hospital, told The Daily Star. 

Bogura district correspondent of DBC News told The Daily Star that on the occasion of Mujib Barsha, 45 houses were being built with government allocation under Sadar upazila in Dashtika area with low quality materials. Hearing of the irregularities, Somoy TV journalist Majedur and cameraperson Rabiul went there around 11:30am today.

While interviewing a local union parishad member, five or six miscreants began beating them up and fled the scene soon after leaving them injured on the spot.

They also took away the journalists' TV cameras, memory cards and mobile phones, the DBC News correspondent added.

"On information, we went there and rescued the journalists," Humayun Kabir, officer-in-charge of Sadar Police Station, told The Daily Star.

"The miscreants stole their cameras, memory cards and mobile phones. We are trying to recover all the items. We are also trying to identify the attackers. Primarily, we have found that a local youth named Jonny had carried out the assault and also heard that a local UP member is involved with the incident," the OC added.

When contacted, Azizur Rahman, upazila nirbahi officer (UNO) in charge of the project, confirmed the incident and said they are trying to find those behind the assault.

The UNO, however, claimed citing locals that the journalists had broken into the houses in the project and some people beat them up, adding that no irregularities happened in the project.

As a public representative, local UP member Lal Mia oversaw the project work, the UNO added.