Denouncing Saturday’s attack on a female journalist by Hefajat-e Islam men, journalist leaders on Sunday urged the media houses to boycott all the programmes of the Islamist group if it makes further attack on reporters.
“If any political party or organisation fails to ensure the safety of reporters or protecting their equipment, we (journalists) will be compelled to boycott their programmes,” said president of pro-government faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury.
Bangladesh Nari Sangbadik Kendra (BNSK), a platform of women journalists, organised the human chain programme in front of the National Press Club in protest against the attack on Nadira Sharmin, a reporter of private television channel ETV.
Nadira came under attack by Hefajat activists while covering their post-long march grand rally in the city’s Motijheel area on Saturday.
Addressing the programme, Sadia Afrin, sister of the victim, said Nadira was attacked for only being a woman, which is an insult to the women community.
Sadia, also a legal practitioner, urged all to protest such heinous attacks.
Stating that the attack was aimed at hindering the progress of women, journalist leaders demanded a fair investigation into the incident and punishment of the perpetrators.
Chaired by BNSK president Nasimun Ara Haq, the programme was addressed, among others, by BFUJ secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan and CEO of private TV channel Boishakhi TV Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul.
Source: UNBConnect
Hefazat’s attack on journalists is indeed regrettable but happy to learn that Hefazat’s leadership has since expressed regret for the incidents and clarfied that these attacks did not form part of their policy.
However, my question to the section of media who are so quick to decide to boycott Hefazat for these unintended attacks how many times did they boycott government for the numerous attacks their colleagues suffered at the hand of the police. These secular liberationinst Awami journalists make me sick in my tummy!
We came to know that the Hefazat leaders expressed their regret for the undesirable incident regarding the harassment of a woman journalist and several others. But we as spectators also saw that some journalists were focused on gathering only the negative sides of the assemblage much larger than seen ever before. We also know that journalists have been divided on their political bent even before the murderer of Sagar-Runi could be brought to book. But they are not lacking behind in raising loud voice against this unwanted stray incident for which the Hefazat leaders have already expressed their sorrow. Before now govt party activists also have harassed, beaten and even killed them but they were not so vocal as they are doing now with remarkable vehemence. We saw some of them were being even more beaten and harassed near the ‘projonmo chattar’ but that did not move them so much. Some TV channels covered even the tiniest aspect round the clock. But most of them did not care to give proper coverage of such an unprecedented mammoth gathering as of the Shapla Chattar. Was it because they were speaking for Islamic values and tradition? People may have, therefore, been a bit skeptical about the real role played by a section of the media men/women. But we hope the media personalities on the whole will stand unbiased for the interest of the common people leaving aside their particular political bent, because they have little choice.