Journalist faces 'police brutality' while carrying out official duty, files complaint with commissioner

A mobile journalist of Global Television has alleged that police assaulted him and pressed down on his chest with a foot while he was recording an incident involving a woman at Bijoy Sarani signal in Dhaka on August 4.

Bulbul Hossain, a mobile journalist of the channel, filed a written complaint to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) commissioner on Thursday (August 6).

Tap here to add The Daily Star as a trusted source

According to the complaint, Bulbul was at the intersection around 5:30pm when he saw police personnel beating a woman following an altercation. He began recording the incident as part of his official duty.

He alleged that 20-25 police personnel then approached him, forcibly took him into a police van and pressured him to delete the footage.

When he refused, identifying himself as a journalist, the police personnel allegedly assaulted him, hitting him on the head and repeatedly beating him after throwing him onto the floor of the van.

At one point, he alleged, one police personnel held a foot against his chest, suffocating him.

Bulbul said he was eventually rescued after people at the scene responded to his cries for help.

He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors found injuries to the back of his head, eye and chest, according to his complaint. He was advised to take three days of complete rest.

Hossain sought an impartial investigation and legal and departmental action against those responsible, based on video footage and eyewitness accounts.

Contacted, DMP Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Niaz Mehedi told The Daily Star that the police had received the complaint and an investigation was underway.