Dhaka Reporters Unity (DRU) and a fraction of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) have denounced the filing of a case against two journalists by a government-listed yaba pill trader.
One Shafiullah Shafi filed the Tk100 crore defamation law-suit against the two journalists accusing them of defamation.
The two journalists are Bangla national daily Dainik Bangla Editor (acting) Sharifuzzaman Pintu and Special Correspondent Arifuzzaman Tuhin.
DRU Office Secretary Kowsar Azam and DUJ-faction office secretary signed the press releases respectively.
DRU and DUJ voiced their serious concern that such a move might restrict objective journalism in this country in separate news releases.
Terming the case as false and baseless, both forums demanded immediate withdrawal of the law-suit.
On the government's list of the 255 most wanted yaba traders, Shafi's name is listed in third place, said the journalist bodies.
The case was filed with the court of Cox's Bazar Senior Judicial Magistrate on Monday while the news published on Friday at the Dainik Bangla under the title ‘None from Bodi's companions among the list of 255”.
The media article basically stated that the government had created a fresh list of yaba traders and that no men from the alleged yaba godfather Bodi, a former MP from Cox's Bazar-4 constituency, were on it.
