Journalists question failure to arrest of remaining killers of Golam Rabbani
Journalist leaders alleged that administration is playing a dubious role over the incident of murder of journalist Golam Rabbani Nadim in Jamalpur’s Bakshiganj. They raised the question as 17 accused in the case remain at large in 35 days since the murder.
Journalists made the observation at a protest rally held in Bakshiganj’s Pathati area demanding arrest and trial of accused persons in the murder case.
Bangladesh Federal Journalist Union, Dhaka Union of Journalists, Mymensingh Journalists Union, Jamalpur Journalist Forum in Dhaka and Bakshiganj Press Club jointly organized the rally. Journalists working in Mymensingh, Jamalpur, Sherpur and Netrokona districts and professionals of different sectors took part in the rally.
The journalists visited the house of Golam Rabbani in the upazila’s Gomer Char at around 12 in the noon. They consoled the bereaved family and visited the journalist’s grave.
The protest rally started with observing one minute silence.
The speakers said five accused persons were arrested before the case was filed in this connection. But police failed to nab the remaining 17 accused in more than a month. Although these accused persons carried out the armed attack on the journalist, they are now moving openly. This makes the local administration’s role dubious.
It would be wrong for the local administration to think that the journalists have forgotten the murder, said the speakers at the rally.
They said the journalist community would not relent until every accused is arrested and punished.
Presided by Mymensingh Journalist Union’s president Ataul Karim, the protest rally was attended among others by Jamalpur-1 constituency’s lawmaker Abul Kalam Azad, BFUJ’s president Omar Faruque, former president Monjurul Ahsan Bulbul, vice president Mosharaf Hossain, treasurer Khairuzzaman Kamal, DUJ’s president Sohel Haider Chowdhury, secretary Aktar Hossain, Mymensingh Press Club’s president Amit Roy, Mymensingh News Channel Journalist Association’s president SM Husain Shahid, Jamalpur Press Club president Hafiz Raihan, district Press Club president MA Jalil and murdered journalist Golam Rabbani’s daughter Rabbilatul Jannat.
Jamalpur detective branch’s officer in charge Arman Ali is in charge of investigating the case. He told Prothom Alo that a total 17 persons including the prime accused of the case have been arrested so far. Three of them have given confessional statement in the court. Several teams of police is working to arrest 17 remaining accused persons in the case. Other accused persons would be arrested anytime.
Golam Rabbani, Jamalpur district correspondent of Banglanews24.com and Bakshiganj upazila correspondent of Ekattor TV, was subjected to brutal attack on 14 June night at Pathati area of Bakshiganj. He succumbed to his injuries following day at Mymensingh Medical College Hospital.
Later, Rabbani’s wife Manira Begum filed a murder case over the incident making Sadhurpara union parishad’s chairman (later expelled) Mahmudul Alam as prime accused.