Free CMCH from ruling party goons

After a rally on Chittagong Press Club premises, journalists in the port city parading streets yesterday protesting physical torture on Naya Diganta Staff Reporter Jahed Al-Amain by some JCD activists while he was on professional work at Chittagong Medical College Hospital on Thursday. PHOTO: STAR

Jahed Al-Amin, Staff Reporter of daily Naya Diganta, was critically injured when tortured allegedly by some activists of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD) and interns at the CMCH when he was interviewing an acid-burnt house-wife from Chandnaish. He is now being treated at a private clinic.

At the protest meeting jointly organized by Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ) and Chittagong Metropolitan Union of Journalists (CMUJ), journalists vowed to continue the agitation until CMCH was freed from vandalism by a handful of 'so-called internee doctors and employees' having links with the ruling BNP and its student front JCD.

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The protest meeting held on Chittagong Press Club premises was followed by a big procession that paraded different streets of the city. It terminated at the Central Shaheed Minar in the city.

Addressing the rally, journalist leaders alleged that a few internee doctors misbehave with patients and visitors almost everyday. They, in connivance with a vested quarter have imposed an undeclared ban on entry of journalists there. They harassed and manhandled at least ten journalists who dared to go there on professional work in the last one year and set up a bad instance of torturing journalists at a place where patients go for treatment, the journalist leaders said.

A case was filed with Panchlaish thana accusing ten internee doctors and a ward boy on Thursday night. However, none of the accused could be arrest so far. Protesting filing of the case, internee doctors threatened to enforce a strike at CMCH.

Presided over by CUJ President Mostaque Ahmed, the rally was addressed, by , among others, CMUJ President Shamsul Haidary, General Secretary Md. Shahnowaz, CUJ General Secretary Shahid Ul Alam, Nazim Uddin Shymal and Mahbubur Rahman.

Meanwhile, Hosne Ara succumbed to her acid burn injury at the CMCH Saturday night. She died before giving any statement, which may hinder trial of the gruesome incident.

Hosne Ara's brother Ramzan Ali, with the legal support of Bangladesh Society for Enforcement of Human Rights, filed the case with Chandnaish thana. None was arrested in this connection till filing of the report yesterday evening.