A case was filed against unidentified people on Monday over an attack on journalists on the Rajshahi University (RU) campus allegedly by leaders and activists of Bangladesh Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).
Md Munir Hossain, deputy registrar of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall, filed the case with Motihar Police Station, said its Officer-in-Charge Golam Kabir.
“We have recorded a case. We have started working on it and will take action after investigation,” he said.
However, journalists covering the university expressed dissatisfaction over the decision to file the case against unidentified suspects.
They demanded that those involved in the attack be identified and arrested quickly and that the university administration take visible and effective action against them.
Ashiqul Islam Dhrubo, president of RU Press Club, said there was no ambiguity about the identities of those involved in the attack.
“We have all the footage of the attack, and people across the country have seen it. It is as clear as daylight who was involved. Their names, posts and identities have already been published in news reports,” he said.
“There is no question of filing a case against unidentified persons. We demand that the names of everyone involved be included in the case and that they be arrested as soon as possible,” Ashiqul added.
Former RU Journalists’ Association President Irfan Tamim also criticised the decision, describing it as extremely disappointing.
Ten people, including four journalists, were injured when JCD leaders and activists allegedly attacked them in front of Shaheed Ziaur Rahman Hall around 8:30pm on Sunday.
Several JCD leaders and activists, including university unit Vice-President Ahsan Habib, were alleged to have been involved in the attack.
The attack reportedly took place after journalists took photographs of locally made weapons allegedly displayed for an attack on a rival group.
The injured journalists include Arifuzzaman Qurban, RU correspondent of bdnews24.com; Zahidul Islam, correspondent of Agamir Somoy; Noor Ahsan Mridul, correspondent of The Daily Star; and Mainul Islam Raju, correspondent of Samakal.
Meanwhile, a five-member committee was formed to investigate the incident.