Desk Report,
Journalist beaten up in courtroom in front of judge
Somoy TV reporter Asif Hossain was beaten up during the bail hearing of expelled Awami League leader and former minister Abdul Latif Siddique, who was arrested and in jail in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act. The Somoy TV journalist was beaten up by lawyers in the courtroom of the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (CMM) court in Dhaka on Thursday afternoon.
Journalist beaten up in courtroom in front of judge
It was learned from the victim journalists and eyewitness lawyers that the bail hearing of expelled Awami League leader Abdul Latif Siddique and journalist Manjurul Alam (Panna) arrested in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act was scheduled for today. Although Latif Siddique was not produced in court, journalist Manjurul Alam was taken from the jail to the courtroom. Bangla Outlook Executive Editor Muktadir Rashid Romeo was present in the courtroom at the time. The journalist, who witnessed the incident, told Prothom Alo, “The police whistled and brought journalist Manjurul Alam Panna to the court with a helmet on his head, handcuffs on his hands and a bulletproof jacket on his chest. At that time, Manjurul Alam Panna was seen devastated. At that time, Manjurul Alam said to the police, “Why are you doing this? I am not your enemy? At that time, I asked journalist Panna, brother, have you been tortured inside the jail?” Journalist Panna replied, “No.”
Journalist Muktadir Rashid said, “When I was talking to Manjurul Alam, lawyer Mohiuddin Mahi, who was present in the courtroom, kept threatening me to leave the court. Then I said, only the judge has the power to remove me from the courtroom. If he says so, I will leave.” Let him speak.’
Muktadir Rashid said, “When I told lawyer Mohiuddin this, he dared to beat me.”
Saying that he was beaten at this stage, Somoy TV journalist Asif Hossain told Prothom Alo, “I was telling lawyer Mohiuddin Mohi bhai that he is a journalist. As soon as I said this, lawyer Mohiuddin punched me. Then I raised the television boom in my hand and started telling the judge that I was being beaten. As soon as I said this, several lawyers started randomly punching me. At that time, I was about to suffocate. At one point, Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP) Qayyum Hossain, Manjurul Alam’s lawyer Farzana Yasmin and other lawyers present in the courtroom, along with journalist brothers, saved me from the beating. I want justice for this.”
Supreme Court denies allegations of beating journalist Asif Hossain Court lawyer AKM Mohiuddin. He told Prothom Alo, “During the bail hearing of journalist Manjurul Alam Panna, I was present in the courtroom for the hearing of another case. At that time, I noticed that a person was talking to journalist Manjurul Alam Panna and taking pictures. The atmosphere of the court was deteriorating due to his talking. I requested that person not to talk now. Talk later. Then the journalist of Soomi TV kept saying to me and two or three other lawyers, do you know who he is? He is the leader of journalists. At that time, there was an argument with the journalist of Soomi TV, there was a push and shove. I personally did not raise my hand on the journalist of Soomi TV.”
Dhaka Metropolitan Sessions Judge Court Chief Public Prosecutor (PP) Omar Faruk Faruki has condemned the incident of beating a journalist in the courtroom. He told Prothom Alo, “During the hearing in the courtroom, there was no connection between the incident of beating a journalist of Soomi TV, Asif, and any lawyer of BNP or Jamaat. Nor is there any lawyer from the prosecution team involved. Those who beat up the journalist are the lawyers of the accused. Legal action should definitely be taken against those involved in the beating of the journalist. Because the incident of beating up a journalist during the trial is sad.’
In this regard, Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Prosecution Department Deputy Commissioner (DC) Md. Tarek Zubair told Prothom Alo, ‘If the journalist of Somoy TV who was beaten up during the bail hearing of journalist Manjurul Alam Panna files a written complaint with the police station, then legal action will definitely be taken against those involved in the beating incident.’
The victim journalist Asif Hossain said, ‘I have been reporting in court for a long time. I only said, the person you are asking to leave is a journalist. Only after saying this, the lawyers beat me up. I want justice.’
In this regard, Syed Nazrul Islam, General Secretary of the Ad Hoc Committee of the Dhaka Bar Association, told Prothom Alo, ‘Somoy “I appeared in that court after hearing about the incident of beating a TV journalist. I spoke to both sides. No pro-BNP lawyer was involved in this beating incident.”
