Ruling party men beat up Bagerhat journo
A journalist leader was seriously injured as a group of activists of local Jubo League and Shramik League beat him up at Fakirhat upazila press club on Friday evening.
The injured was identified as Sheikh Faruk Hossain, 33, general secretary of the press club and upazila correspondent of the 'Daily Probaho', a Khulna-based Bangla newspaper.
Witnesses said a group of 25-30 activists of the upazila Jubo League and Shramik League units stormed into the press club at about 7:00pm.
Led by Jubo League general secretary Wahid Faruk and Shramik League convenor Sheikh Monirul Islam, they beat up the journalists with iron rods and brickbats indiscriminately, leaving him seriously injured.
Sheikh Faruk was admitted to Fakirhat upazila health complex.
Local journalists alleged the Jubo League and Shramik League activists swooped on journalist Faruk as he published a report in his newspaper on Friday, accusing their leaders of arranging gambling and obscene dances at Bahirdia in the upazila in the name of jatra (open air opera).
Sheikh Faruk filed a case against 20-25 people including Wahid Faruk and Sheikh Monirul in connection with the attack on Friday night.
Later police arrested Shramik League leader Monirul while Jubo League temporarily expelled Wahid Faruk on charge of the offence.
District Jubo League president Mujibur Rahman in a press release, signed by himself, said that Wahid Faruk was expelled for his anti-organisational activities.
Wahid Faruk, however, refuted the allegations saying that he was never involved with gambling at the jatra or beating up journalist Sheikh Faruk.
Confirming the incident, OC of Fakirhat PS Masud Alam told this correspondent that they have arrested Monir and trying to nab others.
The opera has already been shut, he added.
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