A planned attack on five journalists in Feni by members of the banned Chhatra League has been exposed through intelligence surveillance of a WhatsApp group.
The plot surfaced from a group chat named ‘Ekotai Shakti’, allegedly used by activists linked to both the Chhatra League and Jubo League.
Following the leak, Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, Feni correspondent for Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS) and editor of Daily Feni Somoy, filed a general diary (GD) at Feni Model Police Station on Saturday evening.
Police sources confirmed that five journalists had been singled out as targets in the group.
Besides Mohammad Shahadat Hossain, the other journalists are Arifur Rahman of Jamuna TV, Arif Azam, chief reporter of Daily Feni Somoy, Solaiman Hazari Dalim of Ekhon TV, and Zahidul Alam Rajan of NTV Online.
In his GD, Shahadat mentioned that on the night of Friday, August 8, they became aware—through various media sources—of discussions in the WhatsApp group suggesting preparations for a coordinated attack.
In one message, a user named Saif Uddin allegedly wrote that a "media trial" like the one in Gazipur should be attempted, naming several journalists as targets. He added that if Chhatra League isn’t brought into action now, everything would fall into BNP’s hands.
Another participant, Shahed Obhi, reportedly wrote that their leaders had once ‘licked the feet’ of Arif Azam and Shahadat Hossain, but now the time had come to act. He accused Arif Azam of publishing photos of a procession involving Nobel and helping to identify members of rival groups. Obhi said there would be no forgiveness—not even after ten years—and vowed to expose Shahadat, Arif, and others, including NTV’s Rajan and Jamuna TV’s Arif, no matter where they tried to hide.
According to the leaked messages, the group discussed launching a sudden attack “in the style of Gazipur” or setting fire to the journalists’ homes at night.
Those involved in the group include current and former leaders of various local units of the banned Chhatra League.
These include individuals from Feni District Chhatra League, Feni Municipal Chhatra League, and Feni Government College Chhatra League. Names of key organisers such as Shahed Akbar Abhi, Saif Uddin Manik, Abul Hasnat Tushar, Sarwar Roni, Tofail Ahmed Apu, Nur Karim Javed, Raihan Habib Shakil, Shawkat Kiron, and Kazi Nizam Uddin Shuvo, among others, have surfaced.
The group’s administrators are reported to be District Chhatra League President Tofail Ahmed Topu, General Secretary Nur Karim Javed, Vice President Shahed Akbar Abhi, Ashiq Haider Rajan Hazari, Roni Chandra Das, and others. Discussions in the group involved 20 to 25 individuals, many of whom are allegedly fugitives in connection with serious crimes, including murder cases.
Mohammad Shamsuzzaman, officer-in-charge of Feni Model Police Station, said that law enforcement had learned of the group’s activity through cyber intelligence and is taking the matter seriously.
“The cyber unit is verifying the information and we are taking steps to ensure the safety of the targeted journalists. Legal action will be initiated once the facts are confirmed,” he said.
He added that most of those involved are already wanted in multiple criminal cases, and further investigations are underway.