Journalist succumbs to injuries following assault 'over a report'
The district correspondent of Banglanews24.com in Jamalpur has died while undergoing treatment at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital after being assaulted allegedly by the supporters of a local union parishad chairman last night.
The 42-year-old journalist, Golam Rabbani Nadim, breathed his last at around 2:30pm Thursday, the hospital's Deputy Director Jakiul Islam told the media.
Nadim, who was also Bakshiganj upazila correspondent for Ekattor TV and the vice-president of Jamalpur Online Journalists, had allegedly been targeted for his coverage of Mahmudul Alam, chairman of Sadhurpara union parishad in Bakshiganj upazila, according to his family and colleagues.
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Mahmudul Alam, who is also the general secretary of Sadhurpara union Awami League, denied any involvement in the attack and claimed he had no dispute with Nadim.
On 14 May, four days after Nadim's report was published on Banglanews24.com, Mahmudul Alam filed a case against him under the Digital Security Act at Bakshiganj Police Station. Nadim was released on bail, and the Mymensingh Cyber Tribunal acquitted him of the charges in the afternoon prior to the assault.
Mohammad Sohel Rana, the officer-in-charge of Bakshiganj Police Station, reported that three individuals have been detained thus far in connection with the journalist's murder. Police are actively investigating the case, and the process of filing an official complaint is currently underway.
According to witnesses, the attack on Nadim occurred at Bakshiganj Bazar area while he was returning home around 10:00pm yesterday. Local residents rushed him to Bakshiganj Upazila Health Complex, from where he was later transferred to Jamalpur General Hospital for further treatment. Due to his deteriorating condition, he was subsequently shifted to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Dr Shahidur Rahman from Jamalpur General Hospital stated that Nadim was admitted with severe head injuries. Monira Begum, Nadim's wife, held Chairman Mahmudul Alam's associates responsible for the attack and called for exemplary punishment for them. She claimed that Nadim had been subjected to harassment by the chairman ever since publishing the report against him.
