Journalist, poet-writer, accused in harassment case in Moulvibazar, living a nomadic life

Journalists accused in harassment cases in Moulvibazar have been living a nomadic life for five months. Several journalists in Moulvibazar, accused in harassment cases, have been forced to live as nomads for five months. They demand relief from the false and fabricated charges leveled against them. The stress of these unexpected challenges has caused some parents of the accused to fall ill, and many families are enduring hardship.

My son has been homeless for five months fearing for his safety. God knows where he lives and what he eats. His father suffered two brain strokes and is now on his deathbed because of his son's worries. I, a mother, cannot stop crying over such an unexpected danger to my son. His siblings living in the country and abroad are spending their time in extreme worry. I want a speedy release from the false allegations made against my son. -Nurunnahar

In response, the Moulvibazar Press Club has formally requested the Superintendent of Police to conduct a fair investigation and provide relief to the innocent journalists.

It is learned that more than a thousand people have been accused in wholesale cases following the August 4 anti-discrimination movement in Moulvibazar. Among them, journalists, poets, writers, businessmen and professionals have also been accused.

According to the Superintendent of Police's office, 17 cases related to the anti-discrimination movement were filed in Moulvibazar, implicating 2,600 individuals. The majority of the cases (13) were filed in the district headquarters, involving 2,148 accused.

Victims allege that many of the charges are false, baseless and aimed at harassment.

In these wholesale cases, five professional journalists have been accused in harassment cases in Moulvibazar district headquarters. They are Hasanat Kamal, Moulvibazar correspondent for Bangladesh Television and New Age, and editor of eyenews.news, Panna Dutta, former district correspondent for DBC News and general secretary of the Moulvibazar Press Club, Sarwar Ahmad, senior journalist and current president of the Press Club, Ripon Dey, district correspondent for The Business Standard, S. E. Sarker Joblu, vice-president of the Press Club and district correspondent for Dainik Khoborpatra.

Additionally, poet and writer Syed Mosahid Ahmed Chunnu has also been accused.

The accused claim that the charges are fabricated, false, and harassment-driven.

Journalist Hasanat Kamal, the victim of the harassment case. His mother Nurunnahar said, "My son never spoke to anyone in a threatening manner. He or anyone from his family has never filed a GD against anyone, never got involved in a case against anyone. He fell ill with fever on the night of August 3, 2024. The next day, August 4, he was also suffering from a high fever. He did not leave his house for the next week. Yet he has been accused in a wholesale loss case related to the August 4 anti-discrimination movement.

Nurunnahar said, "My son has been homeless for five months fearing for his safety. God knows where he lives and what he eats. His father suffered two brain strokes and is now on his deathbed because of his son's worries. I, a mother, cannot stop crying over such an unexpected danger to my son. His siblings living in the country and abroad are spending their time in extreme worry. I want a speedy release from the false allegations made against my son."

Meanwhile, writer-poet and general secretary of Moulvibazar BNSB Eye Hospital Syed Mosahid Ahmed Chunnu said, "On August 4, I was on duty at the hospital and did my office. Yet, I have been accused in a case of looting shops and burning bicycles in Chowmohana that day. which is absurd and unbelievable.

Abdul Hamid Mahbub, former president of the Moulvibazar Press Club, said, "I have known journalist Hasanat Kamal and poet Syed Mosahid Ahmed Chunnu very closely for a long time. They are one of the few good people in this city. I have never heard them scold anyone, I have never seen them get into trouble with anyone. Now, I have heard that these two persons have been made defendants in a case related to the August 4 movement. They were allegedly involved in looting shops and burning bicycles. This is a ridiculous allegation. I do not believe that they could ever be involved in incidents like looting shops or burning bicycles, there is no such precedent in the past. I demand the immediate withdrawal of the false allegations against them.

Drawing a picture of wholesale false cases, current Moulvibazar Press Club President Sarwar Ahmed said, there was no anti-discrimination movement event in Moulvibazar on August 3, 2024, no incident occurred. However, on that date, a complaint was filed with the police station, naming hundreds of people, including 11 journalists, citing a fictional incident.

Sarwar Ahmed said, "Another case has been filed, naming me and more than a hundred people, including other journalists, citing the incident of 2018. These cases should be investigated quickly, fairly and impartially."

Moulvibazar Press Club General Secretary Nurul Islam Sheful said, in the changed political context, a group is harassing journalists working in the district headquarters by accusing them in criminal cases. In the case filed, former Moulvibazar Press Club secretary Panna Dutta, Ripon Dey, Hasnat Kamal and current Press Club president and senior journalist Sarwar Ahmed along with Press Club vice-president S. E. Sarkar Jablu have already been named as accused. The mentioned journalists were allegedly involved in political attacks.

Nurul Islam Sheful said, professional journalists consider gathering news by attending incidents and accidents and gatherings as their main duty in the interest of their profession. They are not party cadres who, having taken sides will leave their pens and get involved in a ruckus with sticks in their hands! However, the journalists are being framed in that way due to malicious motives. The defendants in the case have ulterior motives. There is also a motive to earn extra money by threatening to convict the innocent. Recently, a copy of a case has been posted on WhatsApp. In which eleven more journalists have been named as accused. The secret behind publishing the copy of the case on WhatsApp is to extort money from the accused. In such a situation, these eleven journalists are also affected by the fear of the accused. This unbearable environment has become a threat to healthy journalism. In light of the above-mentioned reality, I have appealed to the Superintendent of Police that if a journalist is accused in a politically motivated case, necessary and legal action should be taken after verifying whether the accused are involved in the incident at all or whether the journalist is a cadre of a political party.

Meanwhile, several audios have gone viral in Moulvibazar regarding the case trade. The coordinators have submitted a memorandum to the human chain and the deputy Commissioner to take action in this regard.

The Superintendent of Police said, "There is nothing to request from the press club or journalists regarding the case. The case will proceed at the pace of the case. Action will be taken according to the law."