Heinous attack on journalists

The heinous assault in broad daylight and before the eyes of hundreds of onlookers further unmasks the fascist character of some of the lawmakers of the ruling party and their musclemen. They are now reacting in a bizarre fashion to the dissenting voices across the country. In the past they struck surreptitiously for fear of exposing their identity, but this time they walked in impudently right before the members of the law enforcing agencies into the venue and carried out the assault.

We notice with a sense of incredulity that no official public comment has been made so far by BNP high command, even though the name of a party MP has been hitting the headlines too frequently for reasons one cannot be too proud of. The party may have some genuine grievances against some newspapers or some newsmen but then there are acceptable ways to air them. Taking it out on the journalists by physical assault cannot be made a norm by any quarter. Here we are forced to draw a parallel with similar deeds of former Awami League MP Joynal Hazari, who earned notoriety for bashing newsmen. And we also remember very well how his infamy became his nemesis in the end.

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We strongly hold the view that non-dispensation of justice to resolve the past cases of attacks that led to the deaths and disfigurement of many working journalists has been sending dangerous signals to the ruling party cadres. It leaves no doubt in our minds that the ruffians in Kushtia were emboldened by the instigation and support of the godfathers who worked from behind. It is time the government took stern action against the perpetrators. BNP leadership would be well served by publicly condemning this act and instituting disciplinary action against the particular MP concerned.