BFUJ demands restoration of Khabar publication

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) yesterday strongly criticised the owner of The Daily Khabar for exploiting its journalists and employees and demanded immediate restoration of publication of the newspaper along with payment of all arrears from August last year, reports BSS.

BFUJ President Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury and Secretary General Abul Kalam Azad and DUJ Acting President Shubho Rahman and General Secretary Azizul Islam Bhuiyan, in a joint statement, warned that the management of the newspaper would be held responsible for any eventualities unless the justified demand was met immediately.

They said it has become a "regular habit" of that newspaper owner to stop salaries of the employees and this time he has illegally suspended the publication of the paper just ahead of the Eid-ul-Fitr pending the salaries and festival allowances of the newsmen and other staff.

The journalist leaders brought charges of tax evasion against the Khabar owner saying since its inception the newspaper never went through any audit as a result of which he got the scope of evading a huge amount of tax.

"This owner cum editor now possesses a huge asset by taking undue advantages from different regimes in the past," they said.

The union leaders alleged that the owner of the daily not only deprives the employees and journalists of their legitimate dues, but he is also trying to grab the bills of government advertisements in the name publishing the newspaper from a "secret place."

Meanwhile, the employees and journalists of the Khabar and its sister publications yesterday launched an action committee to realise their arrears and festival allowances, which were due from August last year.

They urged all professional bodies, journalists and intellectuals to raise voices against the inhuman behaviour of the management by suddenly stopping the publications without paying a single penny to the employees.