Star reporter comes under JCD wrath
Staff Correspondent
Cadres of the Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD), student wing of the ruling BNP, attacked the Dhaka University (DU) correspondent of The Daily Star with iron rods and sticks in his room at Jahurul Haq Hall and ejected him from the hall in the early hours of yesterday. Seriously injured Hasan Jahid Tusher is now under treatment at the General Hospital at Elephant Road. At least 20 JCD cadres broke into Tusher's room at about 1:45am and asked him to leave the hall at once. Earlier, JCD activists had asked him not to file any report on assault on general students by them. Residents of the hall said JCD hall unit President Tanjilur Rahman Tanjil and Organising Secretary Shoeb Khondoker stood at the hall gate and ordered the JCD men to attack Tusher. The attackers -- two of them being Shahid Uddin Shahed and Shohagh -- dragged Tusher out of his room and beat him with iron rods and sticks. "You have no right to stay at the hall as you filed reports against us (JCD)," Shahid shouted at Tushar. "We have allowed you to stay at the hall even after you reported the assault on two students at the hall." While dragging Tusher down the stairs, the two activists continued to beat him with iron rods, causing serious injuries to his shoulders and left hand. They left him outside the hall gate, warning him not to return to the hall and file report on JCD attacks on general students in different halls. Later, DU correspondents of national dailies rescued Tusher from the hall gate and took him to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He was shifted to the General Hospital yesterday morning. The DU Journalists Association brought out a silent procession on the campus yesterday, protesting the attack on Tusher and demanded stern action against those involved. They also gave a memorandum to the JCD leadership in this regard. General Secretary of the JCD Azizul Bari Helal later visited Tushar and said disciplinary action would be taken against those who assaulted him.
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