Cumilla journo hacked mercilessly for ‘reporting on corruption’

Abdul Matin Chowdhury, father of journalist Shariful Alam Chowdhury. –

A local journalist has mercilessly been hacked allegedly by followers of a local Union Parishad Chairman at his residence at Kajiatal village in Cumilla’s Muradnagar upazila on Saturday.

The journalist Shariful Alam Chowdhury is a correspondent of Daily Samakal and general secretary of Muradnagar Press Club.

The assailants did not even spare his elderly parents from the attack when they tried to save their son. They both received injuries, UNB reports.

Abdul Matin Chowdhury, the father and also a valiant freedom fighter, said the attack was carried out in retaliation of a report that his son wrote uncovering corruption, irregularities and nepotism of Darora Union Parishad Chairman Shahjahan.

On Saturday noon, a number of goons patronized by the UP chairman came to the house, dragged Shariful out to the yard and hacked him brutally with sharp weapons. They also beat him with iron pipes and hammers.

The father said when he and Sharif’s mother tried to restrain the attackers, they also received the same treatment.

Contacted, AKM Manjur Alam, officer-in-charge of Muradnagar Police Station, said they on information went to the spot, rescued the journalist and sent him to hospital.

“We’ve immediately arrested Chairman Shahjahan after Sharif’s father filed a case over the incident,” he said, adding that they are trying to arrest the other accused.