Police action on journos protested

In a joint statement yesterday, BFUJ President Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and Secretary General Abdul Jalil Bhuyian and DUJ President Altaf Mahmud and General Secretary Omar Faruk said the police intentionally swooped on the journalists even after they showed their identity cards.

Such attack is tantamount to threat to freedom of the press, they added.

BFUJ and DUJ also jointly held a protest rally at the National Press Club and took out a procession yesterday.

Presided over by Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul, the rally was addressed by Abdul Jalil Bhuyian, Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, Altaf Mahmud, Omar Faruk, Saiful Islam Talukdar and Khairuzzaman Kamal.

BDNEWS adds: Dhaka Reporters' Unity (DRU) yesterday also condemned police atrocities on journalists during the opposition-led Dhaka siege programme.

DRU President Shafiqul Karim and General Secretary Shahed Chowdhury in a statement said police swooped on the journalists with mediaeval barbarity.

Several journalists, including DRU executive member Patrick D Costa, were seriously injured.

Demanding exemplary punishment to the police officials responsible for the attack, they asked the persons concerned not to repeat such unwanted incident.