An unprovoked attack on defenceless journalists by unruly activists of Jamaat-e-Islami and its student wing, Islami Chhatra Shibir, in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi on Tuesday has sparked widespread outrage across political, media and social circles.
The assault occurred during a counter-mobilisation by Jamaat centred around the 77th founding anniversary of the Awami League, whose political activities are currently banned.
Multiple media rights organisations have demanded immediate legal and organisational action against the perpetrators.
Press freedom advocates warn that allowing political activists to take the law into their own hands under the guise of political vigilantism poses a direct, existential threat to independent journalism in the post-2024 political landscape.
Anatomy of the assault
On Tuesday morning, law enforcement agencies across Dhaka were placed on high alert following social media announcements by AL leaders planning a procession to mark their party’s anniversary. In response, counter-political blocks, including Jamaat, deployed activists on the ground to block any attempts by the AL to gather.
By 8:45am, Jamaat activists had organised a rally in front of the Bangabandhu Bhaban on Dhanmondi Road 32, following a procession that marched from Kalabagan through the Sobhanbagh Mosque area.
The situation turned violent during the post-procession rally due to a logistical dispute between the organisers and the members of the press.
On-duty television crews and journalists requested the speakers to shorten their introductory remarks so that primary news segments could be recorded and transmitted ahead of strict broadcast deadlines. This routine professional request reportedly angered several thana-level Jamaat leaders and activists present on the stage.
Consequently, Mahfujur Rahman Shishir, a multimedia reporter for the Daily Sakal, was singled out, labelled an “ally of fascists,” and brutally beaten, while four to five other journalists sustained injuries while putting their bodies on the line to shield Shishir from the mob.
Recounting the ordeal, Shishir said that the confrontation escalated while the amir of the Hazaribagh unit of Jamaat was addressing the crowd.
He said that the television cameramen requested the main speaker take the microphone because prolonged speeches from local leaders could not be accommodated within their broadcast windows.
The Hazaribagh amir responded aggressively, telling the journalists that all their leaders would speak, and that the press could leave if they wished because they were not needed. Shishir noted that he stood up to protest this dismissive statement, and that is exactly when the crowd targeted him.
Fellow reporters eventually managed to rescue Shishir from the scene, rushing him to a nearby private hospital where he received emergency treatment before being discharged.
Is ‘fascist’ tag a licence to attack?
The Dhanmondi episode has reignited a public debate regarding the weaponisation of political labels.
Critics point out that the current practice of branding individuals as “fascists” or “collaborators” to justify physical violence mirrors the exact harassment tactics utilised during the AL’s ousted regime.
Mamun Al Mustafa, a professor in the Department of Political Science at Dhaka University, weighed in on this disturbing trend. He said that while political labelling is a global phenomenon, pointing out how figures like US President Donald Trump are routinely branded by detractors, its application in Bangladesh has taken a dangerous, extrajudicial turn following the fall of the AL government.
Political analysts emphasise that arbitrarily labeling someone a “friend of tyranny” provides absolutely no legal authorisation for assault, which remains a clear criminal offense under the law.
Furthermore, they argue there is a dangerous fallacy in assuming a person’s mindset based on their appearance, stressing that a journalist’s professional presence at an event cannot be used as a metric to judge their political allegiance.
Professor Mustafa also observed a significant shift in the country’s power dynamics, noting that Jamaat, which previously lacked substantial administrative or parliamentary influence, has now evolved into a powerful pillar of the current political structure.
Consequently, analysts warn that the party’s street conduct must face heightened civil scrutiny to ensure it does not replicate the very intimidation tactics it once opposed.
Jamaat’s explanation and investigation
In an immediate damage-control move, senior leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami expressed formal regret, characterising the assault as an unwanted and isolated incident.
To address the fallout, the party’s Dhaka City South unit formed a three-member probe committee led by Noor Nabi Manik, the director of the Dhanmondi zone.
This committee has been given a strict mandate to investigate the event swiftly, focusing on distinguishing between the direct involvement of party personnel and the potential interference of external instigators looking to cause trouble.
Jamaat’s Assistant Secretary General, Hamidur Rahman Azad, alongside the head of the media department, Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, who is also an assistant secretary general, assured the public that this comprehensive internal investigation would verify the true identities of the attackers.
They emphasised that the party needs to determine if these individuals were genuine activists or outside infiltrators attempting to exploit the public gathering to create chaos. Following the incident, Dhaka City South Secretary Shafiqul Islam Masud and Assistant Secretary Delwar Hossain personally contacted the injured reporter to hear his direct account of the violence, promising that strict organisational disciplinary measures would be carried out based on the final findings of the committee report.
Protests
The attack has drawn sharp condemnation from across the ideological and political spectrum, uniting rival student and political organizations in defence of press freedom.
In the wake of the incident, the Multimedia Reporters Association staged a major human chain protest at Shahbagh, demanding the immediate arrest and criminal prosecution of the attackers.
Concurrently, Islami Andolan Bangladesh’s Central Publicity Secretary, Sheikh Fazlul Karim Maruf, released a statement calling the assault a clear manifestation of a deeply rooted authoritarian mindset.
The Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, the student wing of the BNP, also issued a stern joint statement via President Rakibul Islam Rakib and General Secretary Nasir Uddin Nasir, branding the incident a direct assault on the freedom of expression and demanding swift punitive legal action against everyone involved.
