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Alleged gangsters attack, injure reporter in Bangladesh
Dhaka, July 21: A reporter working for a tabloid newspaper was beaten up and seriously injured by alleged gangsters for writing about their criminal activities in the Bangladeshi capital, his newspaper reported today.
Dhaka, July 21: A reporter working for a tabloid newspaper was beaten up and seriously injured by alleged gangsters for writing about their criminal activities in the Bangladeshi capital, his newspaper reported today.
Shafiq Shaheen, 31, who reports for Manabzamin, a Dhaka-based Bengali-language daily, was attacked yesterday night in the capital's Dhanmondi residential area.
A gang of about four men first slapped and kicked Shaheen on the street, and then dragged him inside a nearby house, where they beat him with hockey sticks, the newspaper said.
Alerted by neighbors, police rescued Shaheen from the house.
He was hospitalized with injuries to his back, head, legs, arms, waist and chest.
Police arrested the alleged gang leader at the house, but the other gang members escaped.
During the beating, the assailants swore at Shaheen for his report, printed july 13, on their alleged extortion racket from garbage collectors in the area, the newspaper said.
Bangladeshi journalists often face attacks or threats for exposing official corruption or activities of criminal gangs.
Last year, three reporters were killed and at least 250 others were assaulted or threatened with death, but very few of the assailants were charged, arrested or tried, according to the Paris-based media watchdog reporters without borders.
Bureau Report
A gang of about four men first slapped and kicked Shaheen on the street, and then dragged him inside a nearby house, where they beat him with hockey sticks, the newspaper said.
Alerted by neighbors, police rescued Shaheen from the house.
He was hospitalized with injuries to his back, head, legs, arms, waist and chest.
Police arrested the alleged gang leader at the house, but the other gang members escaped.
During the beating, the assailants swore at Shaheen for his report, printed july 13, on their alleged extortion racket from garbage collectors in the area, the newspaper said.
Bangladeshi journalists often face attacks or threats for exposing official corruption or activities of criminal gangs.
Last year, three reporters were killed and at least 250 others were assaulted or threatened with death, but very few of the assailants were charged, arrested or tried, according to the Paris-based media watchdog reporters without borders.
Bureau Report