Kamrul Hasan, a journalist with the Dhaka Tribune, has been baton-charged and verbally abused by several policemen in Mirpur 14 in Dhaka while on assignment to cover the story of student protests seeking justice for two students killed in last Sunday’s road accident.
Luckily, Kamrul, a crime reporter of the national English daily, did not sustain any serious injuries after the events on Thursday.
Despite revealing his identity as a member of the press, four policemen in riot gear hit Kamrul with batons around 3:30pm, just after police action against protesting students near the Navy Colony area.
"I was first let go by two policemen near the Police Staff College, but four others swooped down on me, even though I identified myself as a journalist," Kamrul said, as he reported from the Mirpur area.
Before starting the baton charge, the four policemen rebuked the press, he added.
Despite repeated attempts, deputy commissioner (DC), additional DC and assistant commissioner level officials of Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Mirpur Division, and the officer-in-charge of Kafrul police station could not be reached for comments.
