At least 17 journos hurt

At least 17 journalists were injured during clashes in the capital yesterday and several of them were reportedly attacked by BNP men.

Md Rafsanjani, staff reporter of the daily Kalbela, was recording video of some BNP men beating up a policeman. All of a sudden, the BNP men attacked and beat up the journalist.

This happened at Kakrail's Nightingale intersection when violence broke out near the BNP's grand rally venue in front of its central office in Nayapaltan.

Rafsanjani said he was beaten with iron rods until he fell to the ground. The attackers continued beating him up. They also took his phone.

He kept trying to tell the attackers that he is a journalist. He somehow managed to get up at one point and run towards a 12-storey building in the area where some other journalists were present.

Rafsanjani received treatment at the Dhaka Medical College Hospital. There were welt marks on his body.

Touhidul Islam Tareque, a multimedia team reporter of the same Bangla daily, was also attacked by BNP men when he was covering the police-BNP clashes in Nayapaltan. His phone was taken too.

Touhidul's colleague Abu Saleh Musa was beaten up by some Awami League men when he was covering the ruling party's "peace rally" near Baitul Mukarram.

Another Kalbela reporter, Robiul Islam Rubel, was hurt after being hit by a brick chunk.

BNP men attacked reporters Tanvir Ahmed and Sheikh Nasir of Ittefaq Online near Kakrail.

When the two were taking footage, some BNP men approached the duo and asked what they were doing. After learning that they are reporters of the daily Ittefaq, the BNP men attacked the two. The journalists had to be hospitalised.

SA Masum, a reporter of Bangla daily Inqilab's multimedia team, was injured during clashes in Bijoynagar area when he was taking photos of a procession. Participants of the procession were carrying placards of Gono Odhikar Parishad.

The procession was attacked by a group of unidentified people and the police intervened.

Masum was beaten by both police and his attackers even though he was wearing a press card, said his colleagues at the Inqilab.

The attackers hit him in the head, and he fell to the ground unconscious. The attackers still continued beating him up.

Masum later received treatment at Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

A car carrying Ekushey TV journalists Touhidur Rahman and Arifur Rahman was intercepted on a flyover by some unidentified people. They were forced out the car, their camera was thrown below, and the car was set on fire.

Two photojournalists of Bangla daily Kaler Kantho, section in-charge Sheikh Hasan Ali and staff photographer Lutfar, were beaten up while they were covering clashes between the supporters of the AL and the BNP in front of the chief justice's residence in Kakrail.

A journalist of the daily New Age, Ahammed Foyez, sustained head injuries after being hit by shotgun pellets.

Journalist Arifur Rahman Rabbi of daily Desh Rupantor was wounded after he was hit.

Journalist Masud Parvez Anis of the daily Bhorer Kagoj was attacked by "BNP men" in front of Notre Dame College in Arambagh.

Three journalists of Bangla Tribune -- Chief Reporter Salman Tareque Shakil, photographer Sajjad Hossain and reporter Jobayer Ahmed -- sustained injuries after they fell on the street during the clashes and were trampled.

BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir in a statement condemned the attacks on journalists.

Jatiya Press Club and a faction of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists in separate statements denounced the attacks on journalists.