Arifuzzaman Molla, joint general secretary of Shariatpur district BNP and former president of the district Jubo Dal, who was accused of assaulting three journalists and threatening several others in Shariatpur on Tuesday, has now filed an extortion complaint against several journalists.
He submitted a written complaint to Palong Model Police Station last night.
Meanwhile, on behalf of the journalists who were assaulted, the daily Manobkantha and the daily Adin correspondent Borkot Molla also filed a written complaint with the police yesterday evening, naming Arifuzzaman Molla, Shariatpur district Swechchhasebak Dal President Aminur Rahman alias Aman, and Jubo Dal activist Rubel Molla.
The journalists alleged that nearly 24 hours after the complaint was submitted, it had not been recorded as a case or a general diary (GD). They claimed that Arifuzzaman filed the counter-complaint immediately after they lodged the complaint against him in an attempt to intimidate and silence them.
Palong Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Shah Alam confirmed that complaints had been filed by both sides at the police station.
The OC said that following the assault of three journalists in front of the deputy commissioner's office on Tuesday, journalist Borkot Molla, who was among those assaulted, had filed a written complaint with the police through another journalist. Subsequently, Arifuzzaman Molla also filed a written complaint accusing several journalists of extortion.
“Both complaints are being examined. Cases will be formally recorded if the allegations are found to be true,” he added.
Borkot alleged that when they went to the police station to file a case, the OC avoided them and left the station. They also could not reach the superintendent of police by phone. After waiting at the police station for a long time, they had submitted the written complaint.
He alleged that the police are not providing any cooperation. In addition, BNP leaders and activists are threatening him and other journalists.
Kazi Moniruzzaman, Shariatpur correspondent of Ekhon TV, said a dispute arose between journalists and the district administration over the demolition of the Press Club's boundary wall without prior notice. This was followed by an attack on journalists and a protest by a faction of the BNP against them.
He said three journalists had been assaulted. Since then, journalists have been continuously threatened. Journalists working in Shariatpur are now feeling insecure, he said.
Regarding Tuesday’s incident, Sirajul Haque Molla, vice-president of Shariatpur district BNP, said, “Some accomplices of the fascists have created mobs under the guise of journalism and behaved indecently with the deputy commissioner [of Shariatpur]. The BNP, along with ordinary people, protested against such behaviour towards an important representative of the state.”
However, he claimed that they had no information that any BNP leader had assaulted journalists.
According to him, a leader said some inappropriate things to a journalist in anger, which was undesirable and regrettable. He said organisational action would be taken against him after an investigation into the incident.
On Tuesday, three local journalists were allegedly assaulted by leaders and activists of BNP while covering a protest rally in support of the Shariatpur Deputy Commissioner Tahsina Begum.
The assault happened when a group of leaders and activists of Shariatpur BNP and its affiliated organisations under the banner of "general people" of Shariatpur organised a protest rally around 10:00am, alleging that journalists had humiliated the DC in the name of a demonstration before.
