Some local youths attacked Abdul Halim Sheikh (30), a Rajbari representative of the transformation of the country, for making a video of removing flower branches from Shaheed Minar in Rajbari. The incident took place at Shahid Khushi Railway Maidan in Rajbari at around 12:15 on Wednesday (February 21).
Abdul Halim Sheikh is the son of Jalal Sheikh of Char-Laxmipur village of ward number 7 of Rajbari municipality. He is working as Rajbari correspondent of Dainik Desh Panwar and Daily Bangladesh. A written complaint has been filed at Sadar police station in this incident.
According to the source of the written complaint, Abdul Halim Babu, a journalist of Desh Paramvan, went to the central Shaheed Minar of the Shaheed Khushi railway ground of Rajbari city some time before 12 o’clock to fulfill his professional duties. At that time, shopkeepers and their people were taking flower branches from the altar of Shaheed Minar. As he recorded the matter on the phone, some people came forward. They want to know the reason for the video. After introducing the journalist asked to delete the video. When Halim Babu refused to delete the video, 10-12 unidentified people dragged him to the western side of Shaheed Minar and ambushed him. During this time, he got injured in different parts of his body including the corners of his eyes. At one point, when the policemen came there, the attackers ran away.
Later Halim Babu’s colleagues rescued him and took him to Rajbari Sadar Hospital.
Victim Abdul Halim Sheikh said, ‘I was taking photos and videos of Shaheed Minar to fulfill my professional duties. Some local youths were carrying flowers. When I videoed the matter then they blocked me. At one stage they abused me in unspeakable language and dragged me to the side of Shaheed Minar and beat me severely with a tree branch. When the police and Ansar members came forward, they ran away.
Rajbari Additional Superintendent of Police (Sadar Circle) Md. Iftekharuzzaman said, ‘The incident that happened to the journalist while performing his professional duties is not desirable in any way. We got hold of a video footage of the incident. We have already identified some of them. We are working on this.’
