Prothom Alo photojournalist hacked and beaten in Munshiganj, BNP leader detained

Kabir Hossain, chief photojournalist of Prothom Alo’s feature department, has been hacked and his younger brother beaten and injured in Sirajdikhan Upazila of Munshiganj. The incident took place today, Tuesday, around 12:30 pm in the Dosarpara area of Lotobdi Union.

Kabir Hossain stated that the attack was led by Jahangir Madbar, the president of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) unit in Ward No. 7 of Lotobdi Union. A written complaint has been filed with the police by the family, and Jahangir Madbar has already been detained.

Kabir Hossain, 45, is the son of late Malek Madbar of Dosarpara. The other victim is his younger brother, Takbir Hossain, 44. Kabir Hossain was initially rushed to the Sirajdikhan Upazila Health Complex and was later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for advanced treatment.

According to the victim’s family and witnesses, Kabir Hossain and his family run a Lalon cultural centre in Dosarpara. Since the fall of the Awami League government, BNP leader Jahangir Madbar and Union Jubo League unit president Alauddin Madbar had allegedly been attempting to occupy the centre’s land to establish a brick kiln. They had frequently been threatening Kabir Hossain regarding this.

On Tuesday afternoon, as Kabir was working on the boundary fence of the centre, a group including Jahangir Madbar, his sons Touhid and Jahed, Alauddin Madbar, Shahriar Madbar, Sangram, Sahil, and Ahmed Madbar launched an attack on him. Kabir was hacked on the head with a sharp weapon. When his brother Takbir Hossain rushed to his aid, he too also assaulted.

Jahanara Akter, a physician at the hospital’s emergency department, said that the two injured men were brought in around 1:30 pm. Kabir Hossain sustained serious injuries to his head and teeth and was sent to Dhaka after providing him with primary treatment.

Speaking from his hospital bed, Kabir Hossain told Prothom Alo, “Since the change in government, Jahangir and Alauddin have been trying to grab the land of the Lalon cultural centre. They demanded money from me to allow the centre to operate. When I refused, they began harassing the people of the centre. They used the centre for drug abuse and trafficking.”

“Jahangir and his associates would heckle any visitors who came to visit the centre. They even threatened to burn down this centre, just as Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were targeted. I only wanted to protect the place from their unscrupulous activities, which is why they targeted me. They attacked with the intent to kill, and I only survived because of my brother and my wife,” he added.

Local Baul artiste and Kabir’s brother, Takbir Hossain, alleged, “They would have killed Kabir if I hadn’t arrived in time. I was also injured. My brother and our family have become targets of the wrath of BNP and Jubo League leaders simply for trying to save a Lalon cultural centre. Now, our very lives are at risk."

Abdul Hannan, the officer-in-charge (OC) of Sirajdikhan police station, stated that police were dispatched to the scene immediately upon hearing news of the attack. He told Prothom Alo that the primary accused, Jahangir, has been detained, and efforts are underway to arrest the others involved.

M Haider Ali, general secretary of Sirajdikhan Upazila BNP unit, told Prothom Alo, “No criminal will be shielded by using our party's name. We were at the police station when we learned of the attack and immediately requested the police to arrest Jahangir and the other perpetrators. No offender will be spared, and organisational action will be taken against him.”