Protests in India Against Killing of Journalists in Bangladesh
At Least 5 Bangladeshi Journalists Have Died While Covering Protests
Newsreel Asia Insight #311
August 16, 2024
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Journalists from across India’s Tripura state came together to show solidarity with their colleagues in Bangladesh, who have been targeted in a recent wave of violence. At least five media workers lost their lives, and over 200 were injured during protests. Wearing black badges as a sign of mourning and protest, representatives from 10 different media houses in the northeastern state gathered to voice their condemnation.
On Aug. 14, journalists from various organisations, including the Tripura Journalists Union, Tripura Working Journalists Association, Tripura Sports Journalists Club and Tripura Photo Journalists Association, gathered for a demonstration, The Indian Express reported. The event was held at the Agartala Press Club in Tripura’s capital, Agartala, to protest against the violence targeting media workers in Bangladesh.
Pranab Sarkar, president of the Tripura Journalists Union, called on Bangladesh’s interim government, led by Nobel Laureate Muhammad Yunus, to allow journalists to execute their duties without hindrance.
Previously, at another protest on Aug. 11 at the Agartala Press Club, Jayanta Bhattacharya, the club’s president, disclosed that arrest warrants had been issued for journalists from various media outlets across Bangladesh.
The situation across the border has deteriorated since late June, following a decision by the High Court of Bangladesh to reinstate a contentious job quota system, sparking widespread dissent.
During the protests, the following five journalists were killed, as of Aug. 16, according to Dhaka Tribune and UNESCO.
Hasan Mehedi, a senior reporter for Dhaka Times, was shot during violence in Jatrabari on the evening of July 18. He was declared dead after being taken to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College (DMCH).
Md Shakil Hossain, a correspondent for Daily Bhorer Awaz, was shot and killed on July 18 while reporting.
Tahir Zaman Priyo, a freelance photojournalist, was shot in the head while taking pictures at the Science Laboratory intersection on the afternoon of July 19 and died instantly.
Abu Taher Md Turab, a journalist for Naya Diganta, was shot while on assignment in Sylhet on July 19 and succumbed to his injuries the following day in the hospital.
Pradiq Kumar Bhowmik, a correspondent for the local newspaper Daily Khoborpatra, was attacked along with three others by unknown assailants on Aug. 4 at the Rayganj Press Club and later died from his injuries.
At least 224 journalists and media personnel had been injured by gunfire or attacks, Dhaka Tribune reported.
“We are concerned by realising how unsafe it is to become a journalist in this country,” stated Syed Shukur Ali Shuvo, president of the Dhaka Reporters Unity, according to International Federation of Journalists, which said incidents of verbal abuse, theft of equipment and vehicular damage had also been reported.
The protests, originally about a 30% job reservation for 1971 Liberation War military veterans, escalated after over 200 deaths from government and ruling party crackdowns, with at least 100 additional protester fatalities subsequently. The opposition parties, the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and the Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh joined, raising issues like rising inequalities, job shortages and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s authoritarian rule. The army also refused to obey Hasina’s commands.
On Aug. 5, Hasina resigned and fled to India.
