Former prime minister Khaleda Zia’s nephew, Shams Eskander, on Monday accused senior journalist Naem Nizam of giving a “distorted and selective” account of an assault involving him, saying key facts had been omitted to fit a “particular narrative.”
Speaking to journalists on the International Crimes Tribunal premises, Shams, managing director of Islamic TV, responded to a recent Facebook post by Naem Nizam. Shams had gone there to meet the chief prosecutor following an invitation to discuss the 2013 Shapla Chattar crackdown, the subsequent attack on Islamic TV, and the suspension of its broadcast.
In his post, Nizam referred to an incident from the early 1990s and made several claims involving the then opposition leader Sheikh Hasina. These included a visit by Hasina to the residence of Major (retd) Sayeed Eskander -- Shams’s father and Khaleda Zia’s brother -- following the assault.
The post also mentioned Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of The Daily Star, claiming that he accompanied Hasina during the visit. Nizam, former editor of Bangla daily Bangladesh Pratidin, further described a purported sequence of events involving several individuals and claimed that photographs and recordings were taken during the alleged meeting on Mahfuz Anam’s advice.
Responding to the post, Shams said Hasina had indeed visited their home in connection with the incident. However, without naming Mahfuz Anam, he said the editor [Anam] did not accompany Hasina during the visit.
Calling the post “unfortunate and irresponsible,” Shams said, “He also spread misinformation about the editor [Mahfuz Anam] of one of the country’s reputed newspapers. Since he [Naem Nizam] himself is an editor, he should verify facts properly before publishing anything.”
Shams made the remarks to reporters without naming Nizam directly.
He also strongly rejected “inaccurate and exaggerated” details presented in the social media narrative by Nizam.
He said he was only 10 years old and a student at Scholastica school at the time, around 1992-93. He said he regularly travelled through Dhanmondi 32 in Khaleda Zia’s personal vehicle while she was serving as prime minister.
“As the vehicle crossed Dhanmondi 32, there was a roadblock. After the car stopped, some people there -- whom I believe were Chhatra League activists -- identified the vehicle and targeted us,” he said.
Shams alleged that he and the driver were forcibly pulled out of the vehicle and assaulted. "They tore my shirt, beat the driver, and took me inside the Dhanmondi 32 house premises.”
He further claimed he was verbally abused and mentally harassed for several hours. “They abused my family and treated me horribly.”
Shams also said his family searched for him after he failed to return home from school. “Police later rescued me,” he added.
Criticising the recent social media post, Shams said it “selectively presented” the incident while ignoring the “torture of a 10-year-old child.”
Earlier, an Islamic TV delegation led by Shams met the ICT chief prosecutor, briefing him on the 2013 Shapla Chattar coverage and the subsequent attack on the channel. Shams said prosecutors sought details and asked the TV station to preserve evidence.
He alleged that during the crackdown, members of Rab and other agencies raided the station, vandalised equipment and forced it off air. “They destroyed our equipment and shut us down that day,” he said.
Rejecting claims that Islamic TV had broadcast “provocative” content, Shams said its coverage was journalistic and constrained by technical limitations. He also said the shutdown was politically motivated, citing the channel’s perceived links to BNP and Khaleda Zia.
Shams said the TV station was ready to cooperate with investigators and expressed hope that it would resume broadcasting.
He described the Shapla Chattar incident as a “national issue” that should be addressed legally, not politically.
