Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) men assaulted a photo journalist physically while he was taking photo of a person who was being beaten up by BCL men in city’s Probortak intersection.
The journalist was Juel Shil, the journalist at the Chittagong office of Daily Prothom Alo.
The incident took place when Juel was covering up a human chain organized by Chittagong Medical College (CMC) BCL unit protesting attack on their three fellowmen by outsiders in city’s Nasirabad Residential area on early Tuesday.
CMC’s BCL organizing secretary Nahid, cultural affairs secretary Anik and activist Mehraj were injured during the incident while Nahid was admitted to CMCH’s Incentive Care Unit (ICU) as his condition deteriorated.
Witnesses said protesting the attack on the trio, the CMC’s BCL men brought out a procession from college campus around 1:30pm blocking the entry point of medical college hospital.
Later, the BCL men tried to put blockade on the road in Probartak intersection area halting the traffic movement.
During the blockade, the BCL men got locked into altercation with one motorbike rider as he tried to go through blockade with an ambulance.
At one stage, the BCL men led by Rashed got the man down from his bike and started to beat up.
Witnesses said the BCL men kicked the man and knocked on the ground while Juel took several snap shots in his camera of the incidents.
Seeing the matter, the BCL men later swooped on Juel and started to beat him up and snatched his camera.
Protesting the assault on Juel, Chittagong Union of Journalists (CUJ), Chittagong Photo Journalists Association, Chittagong Press Club, issued separate statements and demanded exemplary punishment of the attackers.
Mohiuddin Mahmud, officer-in-charge of Panchlaish police station, said the journalist lodged a general dairy over the incident.