Police yet to record case

Police are waiting for a directive from higher authorities. "I informed higher authorities and will act as per their directives", Ahsan Habib, Officer-In-Charge (OC) Kushtia Sadar police station told The Daily Star when contacted yesterday.

In the complaint, Iqbal accused two ruling party lawmakers Sahidul Islam and Syed Mehedi Ahmed Rumi and their followers for foiling the convention in Kushtia public library ground.

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Iqbal and 25 other journalists were injured in the attack by ruling party men allegedly at the behest of the two lawmakers. The injured included BFUJ (Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists) treasurer Farazi Azmol Hossain, former vice-president of Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) Saiful Islam and its general secretary Omar Faruk.

Over 500 journalists from southwestern districts and from capital gathered at the venue for the convention.

As the convention began at about 11:30am, over 100 BNP cadres equipped with lethal weapons swooped on it from nearby party office and beat journalists.

Later Iqbal Sobhan Choudhury sent a written statement to Kushtia Sadar police station on June 7 requesting the OC to record it as a case.

Sahidul, a lawmaker from of Kushtia-2 constituency (Mirpur-Bheramara) filed a case with Bheramara police station against three journalists on May 9.

In his case Sahidul alleged that Hasan Zahid, staff correspondent Daily Manabjamin and Kushtia correspondent of RTV; Al-Mamun Sagar, staff correspondent of ATN Bangla and Kushtia correspondent of Daily Jugantror; Munshi Tarikul Islam, Kushtia correspondent of Daily Samakal and Chennel I went to his Bheramara residence on May 2 and demanded Tk 50,000 from him.

Since then, police raided heir thouses several times and they are on the run.

Local daily Andoloner Bazar published a series of report on Alleged misdeeds of Sahidul Islam.

Its editor Manzur Ehsan Choudhury also fled home and publication of the daily was stopped.