Jamaat activists assault journalist, labelling 'Awami League associate'; party expresses regret
Other journalists who tried to intervene also reportedly faced harassment.
A journalist was assaulted following a protest march at Dhanmondi 32 in the capital this morning (23 June), with allegations raised against Jamaat activists.
The victim, Mahfuzur Rahman Shishir, is a multimedia reporter for the daily Sokal. Eyewitnesses said Dhaka South Jamaat's Dhanmondi zone held an anti-Awami League protest march.
Leaders and activists from different levels of the party took part in the procession. Speaking to the media, Shishir said, "After the rally, we were asked to leave while taking statements from the participants. When I protested, saying we are not their workers, why should we leave, they called me an Awami League associate and assaulted me."
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Dhanmondi Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Saiful Islam said police had heard about the incident but were not certain whether the victim was a journalist. He added that no complaint had been filed at the time.
Later, Jamaat-e-Islami expressed "deep regret" over what it described as an "unfortunate, undesirable and regrettable" incident involving journalists during a political programme at Dhanmondi-32, issuing a statement.
Jamaat Central Publicity and Media Secretary Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair said the party was "sincerely saddened" by the incident and reaffirmed its respect for media freedom and journalists' professional rights.
He said the party initially learned the incident occurred after the peaceful conclusion of the protest due to provocation by "overenthusiastic individuals or unexpected outsiders" present at the scene.
Zubair added that Jamaat does not tolerate disciplinary violations or extremist behaviour and would conduct an internal review to identify those involved and determine how the situation escalated. He said if any party activist is found responsible, "strict organisational action will be taken."
He further said cooperation between political parties and the media is essential as the country moves toward what he described as a "new Bangladesh free from fascism," and urged vigilance so no vested group could exploit the incident to create misunderstanding.
Zubair also expressed sympathy for injured journalist Mahfuzur Rahman Shishir, wished him a speedy recovery, and said the party would act with greater caution to prevent similar incidents in the future.
