Press Club protests attack on Keshabpur journalist Sushant

A storm of anger has erupted in the journalist community over the planned terrorist attack on local journalist Sushant Mallick in Keshabpur, Jessore. A protest meeting was organized at the Keshabpur Press Club auditorium on Friday (October 17) morning in protest of the incident. The meeting demanded ensuring the safety of journalists and the immediate arrest of those involved in the attack.

The attack took place in Sarappur village of Keshabpur upazila last Thursday afternoon. It is learned that some influential people in his area carried out a pre-planned attack on Sushant Mallick, the Keshabpur correspondent of Sabuj Bangla and BD Khabar newspapers. The attackers beat him severely and caused bloody injuries. He was admitted to the Keshabpur Upazila Health Complex in a seriously injured condition.

After this incident, there was a strong reaction in the journalist community. The protest meeting organized at Keshabpur Press Club on Friday morning was presided over by Press Club President Ashraf-uz-Zaman Khan and moderated by General Secretary Abdullah Al Fuad.

The meeting was addressed by former Press Club President Azizur Rahman, Vice Presidents Abdul Hai Siddiqui and Molla Abdus Sattar, Joint Secretary Siddiqur Rahman, Office Secretary Moshiar Rahman, Sports Secretary Masum Billah, Executive Members Nurul Islam Khan, Ayub Khan, Oliyar Rahman, and Members Kabir Hossain, Sheikh Shahin, Razzak Ahmed Raju, Abdul Momin, Abdul Karim, Kamruzzaman Raju, among others.

The speakers said, “This was a planned assassination attempt.” They alleged that journalist Sushant Mallick was attacked because of his courageous and impartial reporting. According to the speakers, the attack was led by Uttam Mallick and Pradeep Mallick of Sarappur village over a land dispute. They beat Sushant with the intention of killing him.

The speakers at the meeting also said that such attacks on journalists are a direct attack on the freedom of the media. “Journalists present the truth, they are not on any side. Attacking them means suppressing the truth,” said one speaker.

When a case was filed in this incident at Keshabpur police station, the police arrested two accused. However, the main instigators are still absconding. The speakers demanded their immediate arrest and urged the administration to take special measures to ensure the safety of journalists.

Press Club President Ashraf-uz-Zaman Khan said,

“We strongly demand from the administration that those involved in the attack on Sushant should be brought under the law as soon as possible. The safety of journalists should be ensured so that no one else dares to commit such a heinous incident in the future.”

At the end of the meeting, a special prayer was held for the speedy recovery of journalist Sushant Mallick and later it was announced that a human chain program would be announced to demand the arrest of the attackers.

The attack has created a huge outcry in the journalist community in Keshabpur. Local journalists are saying in one word—
“An attack on a journalist is an attack on the truth.”