Cops find MP Rony's claim baseless

Police have not found any evidence substantiating ruling party lawmaker Golam Maula Rony's allegations that the TV journalists, whom he had beaten up in his office on July 20, attacked and threatened to kill him.
On the day of the incident, Rony had filed a case with Shahbagh Police Station accusing Independent TV journalists -- reporter Imtiaz Momin and cameraperson Mohsin Mukul -- and its owner Salman F Rahman of the charges, which also included attempt of extortion.
Investigation Officer (IO) of the case Sub-Inspector Abu Zafar yesterday submitted the final report of the case to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate in Dhaka stating that the charges brought against the three were found to be false.
He appealed to the court to clear the accused of the charges and take legal action against Rony for filing a "false" case.
In the probe report, the IO said he had visited the place of occurrence and tried to record statements of witnesses, but no one stood for Rony. Rather, he came to know that on that day Rony had indeed beaten up Imtiaz and Mohsin, members of crime-investigation show Talash, at his Topkhana Road office in the capital.
The journalists had gone there on information that the lawmaker was about to receive as bribe more than Tk 1 crore sent from Patuakhali, the IO said.
Soon after the assault, Yunus Ali, an assistant manager of Independent TV, filed an attempt to murder case against Rony and 20 others unnamed with Shahbagh police.
On July 21, Rony obtained bail from the court. But it was cancelled on July 24 and he was arrested. Since then he has remained in jail custody.