Ruling party lawmaker Golam Mawla Roni along with his associates allegedly beat up two journalists of private satellite TV channel Independent Television mercilessly when they went to his office located on the ninth floor of Meherba Plaza at Topkhana Road in the city to perform their official duty.
In this connection a case has been field with Shahbagh police station against 20 people mentioning the name of lawmaker Golam Mawla Roni as prime suspect, on charge of attempt to murder two journalists. Assistant manager of the Independent television Younus Ali filed the case. “A case has been filed against MP Golam Mawla Roni on several charges, including attempt to murder, assault and vandalism”, the officer-in-charge of Shahbagh Police station Sirazul Islam told The Independent. Apart from damages to the camera and its memory card, the journalists were also kept confined inside the lawmaker’s shipping business office ‘Saybold Group’ located on the ninth floor of Meherba Plaza at Topkhana Road in the city. The victim journalists– Imitaz Sony, a reporter, and Muhasin Mukul, a camera crew from the private television channel Independent were rescued after senior journalists and law enforcers rushed to the spot on getting information of the incident and rushed to the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. The condition of camera crew Muhasin Mukul was stated to be critical as he suffered severe injuries at most parts of his body.
Meanwhile, condemning the attack on the Independent journalists by Gaolam Mawla Rony, information minister Hasanul Huq Inu said that his ministry would take necessary steps to ensure fair investigation into the case filed in this connection.
“This is a heinous incident. I demand exemplary punishment of the perpetrators. I also urge the Independent authority to file case in this regard, and from the ministry we shall monitor it so that the investigation into the case is fair. No person he is above the law,” the minister told the media.
BNP acting secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir and standing committee member Barrister Moudud Ahmed also condemned the incident and demanded exemplary punishment of the perpetrators.
The victims who work for an investigative episode titled ‘Talash’, alleged that lawmaker Roni of Patuakhali had launched the attack on them and later his associates joined him at around 1:30pm in front of Roni’s office at.
“We had been keeping the office under our surveillance on information that an amount of Tk20 million would be transacted as bribe against a work related to the ‘Kajer Binimoy Khadya Karmasuchi’ in the constituency of the lawmaker”, Imitiaz Sony told The Independent.
Sirajul Islam, officer-in-charge of Shahbag police station, said the journalists visited Roni’s office based on information of a suspected bribery.
In a press release issued by head of news of the Independent Television Khaled Mohiuddin said that ruling party lawmaker Golam Mawla Roni and his accomplices assaulted reporter Imtiaz Sony and camera crew Muhasin Mukul with rod and sticks and damaged their camera and memory cards.
On getting allegation against Roni to the producer of Talash the journalist went to his office to collect comment of Roni, the press release said.
It may be mentioned that Golam Maula Roni MP has previous record of torturing and harassing journalists. In 2009, he threatened two journalists of the vernacular daily Prothom Alo and Amar Desh after their reports regarding his land grabbing were published.
Later, cases were filed against these two journalists. On September 2009, four journalists were came under attack by the cadres of Roni when they went to Roni’s constituency at Galachipa under Patuakhali when they went there to investigate into the incident of land grabbing by Roni.
AL leaders of Patuakhali also condemned the incident of beating the Independent TV journalist by Roni.
District organising secretary Kaji Alamgir told the newsmen that Roni attacked the journalist to tarnish the image of the party.
He alleged that Roni had connection with the war-crime accused. “We hope prime minister Sheikh Hasina necessary action against Roni” he added.
-With The Independent input
