Demanding arrest of killers of Sagar, Runi
Journalists’ grand demonstration on October 15
Journalists cutting across the opinion lines would hold a grand demonstration in the city on October 15 to press the demand for the arrest and trial of the killers of Sagar Sarwar and Meherun Runi and other colleagues. Journalist couple Sagar and Runi were murdered in cold blood in front of their minor son at their rented apartment at Rajabazar in the heart of the city on February 11.
The joint programme by the National Press Club and both the factions of the journalists’ unions was announced by Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists faction president Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury at a rally in front of the Press Club on Wednesday.
On October 7, he said, the organisers would exchange views with the leaders of different organisations of journalists at the National Press Club.
The journalists would also hold a memorial meeting on Sagar and Runi at National Press Club on October 11 to mark seventh month of their killing, he said.
The journalists would continue their united movement until the murderers were arrested and brought to book, Iqbal said.
On Tuesday the newly appointed home minister Muhiuddin Khan Alamgir told the representatives of the journalists’ unions, the press club and Dhaka Reporters’ Unity that by October 10 he would give you a visible progress report in investigation into the double murder of Sagar and Runi.
‘We want to trust the new home minister and his pledge,’ Iqbal said.
After October 10, he said, the journalists would allow anymore new deadlines for nabbing the culprits and take tougher action programmes to press the demand.
National Press Club, DRU and both the factions of Dhaka Union of Journalists and BFUJ jointly organised the protest rally to press the demands.
BFUJ faction president Ruhul Amin Gazi said that by filing a petition to prevent journalists from protesting against the authorities’ negligence to nab the murders of Sagar and Runi ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman had taken a stand against the journalist community.
He described Mahfuzur Rahman as an enemy of the journalist community.
He requested the government to arrest him immediately for his alleged involvement in getting Sagar and Runi murdered.
BFUJ faction secretary general Shawkat Mahmud said that the journalists would continue their fight for press freedom.
BFUJ faction secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan called upon the media house owners to allow trade union rights of journalists and stop repressions of them.
DUJ faction president Abdus Shahid said the journalist community ought to continue united movement against irregularities in the media houses.
Former BFUJ president Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul called it regrettable that the murders of Sagar and Runi could not be nabbed in more than seven months.
The rally was addressed by DUJ faction president Omar Faroque, DUJ general secretary Baker Hossain, acting general secretary Abdul Majid, joint general secretary of the Press Club Kader Goni Chowdhury, DRU president Shakhawat Hossain Badsha and general secretary Sajjad Alam Khan Tapu.
-With New Age input
