Journalist Asaduzzaman killed for recording video of armed men on mobile phone
Members of a criminal gang in Gazipur hacked journalist Asaduzzaman to death. The assailants had been chasing a man with locally-made weapons and journalist Asaduzzaman was recording the scene on his mobile phone. They then they turned on him, chased him down and killed him with machetes.
Police confirmed the details after reviewing CCTV footage from a nearby shop at the scene.
The incident took place around 8:00 pm on Thursday in the Chandana Chowrasta of Gazipur city. Asaduzzaman Tuhin (38) was a staff reporter for the daily Protidiner Kagoj in Gazipur. He was from Bhatipara village in Phulbaria upazila of Mymensingh.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Rabiul Hasan said CCTV footage has captured some moments leading up to the hacking death of journalist Asaduzzaman. The footage shows members of a known gang of criminals and muggers chasing a man with sharp local weapons. Asaduzzaman was filming the scene from behind.
Preliminary findings suggest that he was killed for recording the incident on video.
The video shows the scene unfolding on the west side of the Chandana Chowrasta Masjid Market. The time reads 6:58 pm yesterday, Thursday A woman wearing a black outfit is seen walking by. A man in a blue shirt approaches her from behind and grabs her. As the woman tries to break free, the man moves in front of her to block her path. At one point, he slaps and hits her. Just then, several young men armed with sharp weapons rush in from the side and attempt to strike the man. The man in the blue shirt runs flees.
Just before the incident, journalist Asaduzzaman and his colleague Shamim Hossain were sitting at a shop in the Chandana Chowrasta area. Recounting the events, journalist Shamim Hossain said, “We were walking from one side of the Chandana intersection to the other. At that moment, a man and a woman passed by us. Just then, a few men with sharp local weapons shouted, ‘There he is! Come on!’ The man tried to run away, and they started chasing him with their weapons.
"Tuhin took out his phone and ran after them, filming. I followed shortly afterward to look for Tuhin. Suddenly, the armed men stopped and looked back. Tuhin ran into a nearby tea stall. They entered the stall hacked him to death and fled. I began looking for a police patrol vehicle in the Chowrasta area. When I couldn’t find one, I called the officer-in-charge of Basan Police Station. The police arrived after some time.”
The man seen in the CCTV footage struggling with the woman, who later fled, has been identified as Badsha Mia. He is currently hospitalised with injuries. He said, “That woman is part of a gang. They took money from me.”
According to police sources, there is a gang operating in the Basan, Bhogra and Chandana Chowrasta areas of Gazipur city involved in mugging. The individuals seen in the CCTV footage are all members of this gang and have multiple cases filed against them in various police stations. The woman seen in the video is also suspected to be part of the group. This gang often sets traps in the Chandana Chowrasta area to carry out muggings.
Gazipur Metropolitan Police deputy commissioner Rabiul Hasan told Prothom Alo, “We suspect that the woman seen in the CCTV footage is a member of the mugging gang. A drive is already underway to arrest those involved in the murder.”