BCL men beat up journalist

A college unit leaders and activists of ruling party's student wing Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL) have beaten up a local journalist in Narayanganj.

The incident took place on Government Tolaram College campus on Monday.

The victim, Sourav Hossain, is the staff correspondent of a local online newspaper and second year student of Zoology department of the college. Sourav is also Narayangaj unit literary secretary of Prothom Alo’s readers’ platform, Bondhushava.

Sourav told Prothom Alo that he went to college on Monday after getting a phone call from a classmate. At 11:30am, five to six BCL activists attacked him, he alleged.

“They told me : ‘you are involved with quota reform movement and you file reports against us’,” he said.

Sourav said the attackers then took him to the college’s student council office.

“At the council’s office, I was beaten up by cricket stamp in front of Narayanganj city and Government Tolaram College Chhatra League present Habibur Rahman Riad. I had been tortured for hours,” he said.

He said when he screamed, they prevented him from doing that and took away his bag, cell phone, wallet and journalist indentity card.

“They continued to beat me while taking me to the vice principal’s room,” he said.

Sourov said at vice principal’s room, they forced him to sign on paper giving a bond that he would be freed, provided he would not disclose the incident.

When contacted, BCL Tolaram College unit president Habibur Rahman denied the allegation.

‘I do not know him. There is no point of beating him,” he claimed.

The college’s vice principal Aminul Islam said : “There were some misunderstandings between this student (Sourav Hossain and the Chhatra League activists. I saved him from them. They attempted to beat him but I prevented them.”

When asked about the bond, he said : “Chhatra League activists wanted to take a bond from him but later the paper was torn apart.”