Video shows those behind attack on RU journalists and students, yet case names no suspects
Faces of those involved in last night’s attack on journalists and students at Rajshahi University are clearly visible in video footage, campus journalists said, but the university administration has filed a case against several unidentified persons.
The case was filed this afternoon with Motihar Police Station by Monir Hossain, deputy registrar of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall.
The journalists demanded that those involved in the attack be arrested immediately and that the university administration take visible and effective action against them.
Confirming the case, Motihar Police Station Officer-in-Charge Golam Kabir said, “An anonymous case has been filed. We have accepted the case and started working on it. We will investigate and take necessary action.”
Gaziur Rahman, spokesperson of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police, said Monir Hossain filed the case against several unidentified people.
“If the involvement of those responsible is initially proved, action will definitely be taken against them according to law,” he said.
However, university journalists expressed anger over the case, saying there is no ambiguity about the identities of those involved in the attack.
Irfan Tamim, former president of Rajshahi University Journalists Association, said the names, designations and identities of those accused have already been published in media reports and that video footage of the incident was available.
“Filing an anonymous case is extremely disappointing. We clearly want to say that those accused must be named in the case and brought under the law through immediate arrest,” he said.
Ashikul Islam Dhrubo, president of RU Press Club, said the identities of those involved were “as clear as a mirror”.
“We have all the footage of the attack, and people across the country have seen it. Their names, designations and identities have already been published in reports. So there is no reason for filing an anonymous case,” he said.
“We demand that everyone involved in the attack be named in the case and arrested as soon as possible,” he added.
At least 10 people, including four journalists, were injured when leaders and activists of the university unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal attacked journalists and students with locally made weapons in front of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall around 8:30pm last night.
The injured journalists are The Daily Star’s RU correspondent Nur Ahsan Mridul, also president of Rajshahi University Reporters Unity; Zahidul Islam of Agamir Shomoy; Arifuzzaman Korban of bdnews24.com; and Mainul Islam Raju of Samakal.
At around 1:30am, protesting journalists and students confined RU Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic) Prof Dr Mamunur Rashid and other officials inside the hall provost’s office, demanding that a case be filed and the accused arrested by noon. Prof Mamunur assured them that the hall administration would file a case and the university would address their other demands in phases.
The protesters also demanded cancellation of the studentship and certificates of accused students, a ban on non-students entering campus, and the resignation of the university proctor and hall provost.
The JCD formed a two-member committee, headed by its central vice-presidents ABM Ijazul Kabir Ruel and Manjurul Alam Riad, to investigate the incident and submit a report within 24 hours.
RU JCD Vice-President Ahsan Habib, one of the accused, denied attacking any “neutral journalist”.
For all latest news, follow The Daily Star's Google News channel. He claimed that the journalists present when JCD leaders and activists went to the hall to apprehend Ariful Islam, the hall union GS and a former Chhatra League leader who had allegedly made derogatory remarks about the prime minister, were “undercover Shibir activists” who had come to attack JCD leaders and activists. He said they were “merely resisted”.
Meanwhile, teachers, students and former campus journalists of RU today protested last night’s attack on journalists and students on the campus, demanding an independent investigation and action against those responsible.
Boycotting classes, more than 100 teachers and students of the university’s Mass Communication and Journalism Department joined a human chain in front of the department around 11:30am.
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