It has been alleged that he was brutally attacked by Chhatra Dal leaders and activists while collecting news of the Independence Day preparation meeting in Kotalipara, Gopalganj. The journalist who was attacked is named Kalam Talukder.

The gruesome incident took place in front of the Upazila Executive Officer’s office while he was leaving the second floor hall of the Kotalipara Upazila Parishad on Thursday (March 12) afternoon.

The injured Kalam Talukder is the general secretary of the Kotalipara Journalist Forum and the Gopalganj district correspondent of the Dainik Bhorer Alo. He is the son of the deceased Jabed Ali Talukder of Sriphalbari village of Radhaganj Union.

According to eyewitnesses and victims, Kalam Talukder had gone to the hall to collect news of the Independence Day preparation meeting organized by the upazila administration.

During the meeting, when he left the room, Kotalipara Upazila Chhatra Dal convener Lalon Sheikh, member secretary Niloy Hawlader Mostafa and Dharabashail Government Adarsh College Chhatra Dal president Hamim Biswas and 10/12 others ambushed him. The attackers beat him up and tried to drag him to the ground floor. He was seriously injured.

At that time, the attackers threatened journalist Kalam Talukder not to go to the upazila and said, “You will not be able to do journalism anymore. I may not see you anywhere else.” Later, locals rescued him and quickly admitted him to the 250-bed General Hospital in Gopalganj.

In this regard, Kotalipara Upazila BNP president SM Mohiuddin said on his mobile phone, “I heard about the attack. I called them to find out why the Chhatra Dal leaders committed such an incident.

If anyone commits a crime, organizational action will be taken against him. Meanwhile, the attack in front of the Upazila Nirbahi Officer’s office has created intense anger among journalists working in the district.

Immediately after the incident, journalists working in the district, including the Press Club Gopalganj, Gopalganj Journalists Union and Kotalipara Journalists Forum, strongly condemned, protested and demanded the immediate arrest of those involved.

Journalist leaders said that such a barbaric attack on a journalist under the nose of the administration while performing his professional duties is a grave blow to free journalism.

We are demanding that all those involved in this attack, including Lalon Sheikh, be brought under the law without delay and exemplary punishment be meted out. Upazila Executive Officer Sagufta Haque could not be reached despite repeated calls to inquire about the matter.

However, Deputy Commissioner Md. Arif Uz-Zaman said that he was aware of the matter and appropriate legal action would be taken in this regard.