Journalists harassed

Farmgate, one of the busiest spots in Dhaka, gave a deserted look during curfew hours yesterday. The photo was taken around 9:00am.Photo: STAR

A number of journalists including The Daily Star's Dhaka University (DU) correspondent were assaulted by law enforcement agency personnel since the curfew was imposed on Wednesday night.
Kamrul Hasan Khan, Dhaka University correspondent of The Daily Star and a post-graduate student of the university, was beaten up at around 4:30pm on the university campus yesterday, half an hour after the curfew was lifted for three hours.
A speeding vehicle of law enforcers screeched to a halt before him while he was walking by Teachers-Students Centre (TSC). Kamrul at the moment was covering the situation at DU when curfew had been lifted.
Two law enforcers got out of the vehicle and started to beat up Kamrul with sticks without giving him the chance to identify himself as a journalist.
As he tried to scurry to safety towards DU library, three other vehicles of the law enforcers appeared and more law enforcers joined in to beat him up again, causing serious injuries to both his legs and his arms.
Since the curfew was imposed on Wednesday night, fourteen journalists from the daily Samakal were also reportedly beaten up, arrested and taken to Mohammadpur and Mirpur police stations. Mirpur police filed a case against one of the journalists and sent him to court yesterday.
Two journalists from Ajker Kagoj, two from Jai Jai Din, two from Bangladesh Today, daily Amar Desh reporter Nesar Ahmed, daily Korotoa reporter Sabbir Mahmud, Jahangir Alam of UNB, Dinkal photographer Babul Talukder, and reporters Wahiduzzaman and Fariduddin Ahmed were allegedly assaulted yesterday by the law enforcers while covering the curfew.
On Wednesday night, several journalists were reportedly beaten up and a number of them arrested while they were headed for home during the curfew.
Anis Alamgir, news chief of Bashakhi TV, was among many of the injured senior journalists who were beaten up. Twelve of the arrested journalists have been released, according to the police.
Anis Alamgir, head of news at private TV station Baishakhi, was arrested while returning home on Wednesday night. He was taken to Mohammadpur Police Station where he was severely beaten up by law enforcers. Alamgir received multiple injuries to his legs and arms.
Three bdnews24.com reporters -- Liton Haider, Biplob Rahman and Rommo -- were arrested by the law enforcers as they were returning home from work, despite showing their press identity cards.
It may be mentioned that Information Advisor had assured the editors that press ID would be recognized as curfew passes which was repeatedly confirmed by PID last night.