Reporters Without Borders (RSF) has condemned violence against Lalmonirhat journalist Selim Shamrat while investigating illegal land grabbing in the district.
The France-based rights body called on police to quickly identify the men who attacked Shamrat on the weekend in Barakhata, a rural area of Lalmonirhat, according to an RSF statement on Tuesday.
Selim Shamrat, correspondent for the regional newspaper Bahannor Alo in Barakhata (which is part of the Hatibandha subdistrict), was attacked at around 5pm on July 11. He was rescued by local residents who intervened to stop the assault.
The assailants allegedly pushed him to the ground and beat him mercilessly. After his rescue, the journalist was taken to the Hatibandha medical centre for treatment.
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“We strongly condemn the unacceptable acts of violence against Selim Shamrat while he was performing his duty as a reporter,” said Daniel Bastard, the head of RSF’s Asia-Pacific desk.
“We urge the Hatibandha police to do everything to find both the perpetrators and instigators of this attack and bring them to justice," he said.
According to initial police findings, the attack’s instigators were two brothers suspected of being behind the illegal land seizure that Shamrat was investigating. The police went to their home on the evening of July 11 to arrest them, but they were not there.
The suspects were still at large on Tuesday evening.
