A journalist was assaulted while gathering news at the bail hearing for former minister Latif Siddiqui and journalist Monjurul Alam Bulbul, who were arrested from a programme organised by the Platform 71 organisation in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act.
Several lawyers collectively kicked, punched, and beat journalist Asif Mohammad Siam from the private television channel Somoy TV, while the judge was present in the courtroom. The victim, Siam, was seriously injured and received preliminary medical treatment.
The incident occurred on Thursday afternoon in the court of Metropolitan Magistrate Hasibullah Pias in Dhaka.
On August 28, Latif Siddiqui, journalist Panna, Dhaka University teacher Hafizur Rahman Karzon, and 13 others were detained from a programme at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity. The next day, they were shown arrested in a case under the Anti-Terrorism Act at Shahbagh Police Station and sent to jail.
The bail hearing of Latif Siddiqui and journalist Panna was scheduled for Thursday. However, while journalist Panna was produced in court, Latif Siddiqui was not. As a result, several journalists went to the court to cover this bail hearing. At around 2:55pm, journalist Panna was brought to Courtroom No 30 on the 8th floor of the CMM Court in Dhaka.
A journalist named Rashid (Moktadir) asked Monjurul Alam Panna whether he had been tortured in jail. At that time, Advocate Mohiuddin Mahi, who was sitting on the courtroom bench, asked why the reporter was speaking to the accused, leading to a slight argument. Advocate Mohiuddin then told the journalist to leave the court.
The journalist refused, asking, “Are you the court inspector? I will leave if the judge asks me to.”
As the judge entered the courtroom and began the hearing of a case from Shahbagh Police Station, Siam, who was standing a little distance away, came forward and told the lawyer that he was not an outsider but a journalist. As soon as he said this, the lawyer jumped up from the bench and punched him on the side of his head.
Siam tried to draw the court’s attention by raising the Somoy TV microphone in his hand. However, the lawyer dragged him away. Before Siam could understand anything, several of the lawyer’s associates surrounded him and began assaulting him. The attacking lawyers slapped, punched, kicked, and beat him. Siam was left injured and bleeding.
Seeing this situation in the courtroom, the judge left the bench and went to his chamber. Kaium Hossain Nayan, from the prosecution side, rescued the journalist and took him near the witness stand.
Regarding this, Siam said, “Without any reason, several lawyers created a mob and assaulted me in front of the judge. I demand justice for this incident.”
The judge returned to the courtroom at 3:25pm.
Regarding Latif Siddiqui and journalist Panna, the court heard the case and rejected both their bail applications.
