Jatiya Party Chairman GM Quader MP strongly condemned the police attack on journalists during the Supreme Court Bar Association elections, and demanded exemplary punishment for those involved in the incident. “Assault on media workers while performing their professional duties is an unforgivable crime,” he said in a statement. Expressing anger over the incident, the Jatiya Party chief also said any attack on innocent journalists while collecting news cannot be accepted in a civilised society. GM Quader deplored that journalists in the country already cannot work independently. “Self-censorship has increased in the country's media due to various repressive laws.” He said the country's media outlets are trying their best to keep the flow of information amid various adversities. “It’s not possible to maintain democracy without full freedom of the press. So, everyone should play a responsible role in flourishing media for the sake of democracy. “All sorts of the safety of media workers should be ensured.” At least 10 journalists were injured as police charged batons on them on the Supreme Court premises amid a scuffle between pro-Awami League and pro-BNP lawyers over the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) election on Wednesday. Police attacked journalists when they were taking photos and videos of police action on the pro-BNP lawyers as they engaged in a brawl with the pro-Awami League lawyers during their demonstration demanding the formation of a fresh election conducting committee under an "acceptable" authority.

The High Court on Wednesday refused to grant anticipatory bail to six employees of Barind Multipurpose Development Authority (BMDA) in a case over attacks on journalists of a private television channel in Rajshahi. The bench of Justice Md Rezaul Karim Hasan and Justice Md Atabullah passed the order after the bail petition was placed by the lawyer of the accused. Deputy Attorney General Md Imran Ahmed Bhuiyan stood for the state. Brushing aside the bail plea, the court refused to hear the case, the accused’s lawyer Helal Uddin Molla said adding that they would move another court with the petition.  A reporter and a cameraperson of private ATN News came under attack when they went the BMDA to cover an assignment on September 5. Later, the reporter filed a case against seven identified people and 10 others unidentified at the local police station.   The accused are BMDA’s Executive Director (ED) Md Abdur Rashid, storekeeper Md Jibon, ED’s Peon Selim, Personal Assistant Nurul Islam, office peon Faruk, driver Abdus Sabur and Ansar member Enamul. All the accused except ED Rashid moved the HC seeking bail on Wednesday. Also read: Two BMDA staffers suspended over Rajshahi journo attack    

Rajshahi University Motihar Hall general secretary of Bangladesh Chhatra League Vashkar Saha allegedly beat a student and snatched around Tk 20,ooo from him. Economics department 4th-year student and a residential student of Matihar Hall Shamsul Islam alleged this in a written statement to the student adviser of the university. According to the statement, Vashkar on 15 August summoned Shamsul and demanded extortion money as he earns his livelihood doing some mobile servicing works in the hall. When he was unable to pay the extortion, the BCL leader asked him to go to his room on Friday afternoon and snatched around 20 thousand taka. Later, he was beaten with a rod and cricket stumps when he told them that he will complain about this to the university authority and the journalists. He was also threatened that he will be victimized as Abrar of BUET if he complains to anyone about this. Accused leader Vashkar Saha said to UNB, “No such incident happened with Shamsul what he alleged. I have just talked to Shamsul about servicing two of my juniors' mobile phones.” Read: Another DU student 'assaulted by BCL leader' Tareq Nur, student adviser of the university said, “We have been informed about this matter. Legal action will be taken after the investigation.” Faisal Ahmed Runu, general secretary of BCL of Rajshahi University said, “If the accused is found guilty then our organization will take action against him.”   The victim was not found on the phone call.

An Iranian government official denied on Monday that Tehran was involved in the assault on author Salman Rushdie, in remarks that were the country’s first public comments on the attack. The comments by Nasser Kanaani, the spokesman of Iran’s Foreign Ministry, come over two days after the attack on Rushdie in New York. However, Iran has denied carrying out other operations abroad targeting dissidents in the years since the country’s 1979 Islamic Revolution, despite prosecutors and Western governments attributing such attacks back to Tehran. “We, in the incident of the attack on Salman Rushdie in the U.S., do not consider that anyone deserves blame and accusations except him and his supporters,” Kanaani said. “Nobody has right to accuse Iran in this regard.” Rushdie, 75, was stabbed Friday while attending an event in western New York. He suffered a damaged liver and severed nerves in an arm and an eye, his agent said. He was likely to lose the injured eye. His assailant, 24-year-old Hadi Matar, has pleaded not guilty to charges stemming from the attack through his lawyer. The award-winning author for more than 30 years has faced death threats for “The Satanic Verses.” Iran’s late Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini had issued a fatwa, or Islamic edict, demanding his death. A semiofficial Iranian foundation had put up a bounty of over $3 million for the author, though it has yet to offer any comment on the attack. Kanaani added that Iran did not “have any other information more than what the American media has reported.” Read:Salman Rushdie ‘on the road to recovery,’ agent says The West “condemning the actions of the attacker and in return glorifying the actions of the insulter to Islamic beliefs is a contradictory attitude,” Kanaani said. Khomeini, in poor health in the last year of his life after the grinding, stalemated 1980s Iran-Iraq war had decimated the country’s economy, issued the fatwa on Rushdie in 1989. The Islamic edict came amid a violent uproar in the Muslim world over the novel, which some viewed as blasphemously making suggestions about the Prophet Muhammad’s life. While fatwas can be revised or revoked, Iran’s current Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei — who took over after Khomeini — has never done so. As recently as February 2017, Khamenei said: “The decree is as Imam Khomeini issued.” Since 1979, Iran has targeted dissidents abroad in attacks. Tensions with the West — particularly the United States — have spiked since then-President Donald Trump unilaterally pulled America out of Iran’s nuclear deal with world powers in 2018. A Trump-ordered drone strike killed a top Iranian Revolutionary Guard general in 2020, further fueling those tensions. Last week, the U.S. charged a Guard member in absentia for allegedly plotting to kill one-time Trump adviser and Iran hawk John Bolton. Former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and an aide are under 24-hour security over alleged threats from Iran. Meanwhile, U.S. prosecutors say Iran tried to kidnap in 2021 an Iranian opposition activist and writer living in New York. In recent days, a man with an assault rifle was arrested near her home. Other denials from the Foreign Ministry have included Tehran’s transfer of weapons to Yemen’s Houthi rebels amid that country’s long civil war. Independent experts, Western nations and U.N. experts have traced weapon components back to Iran.

Rab members have detained Japan Mollah, main accused in a case over assaulting a journalist in Faridpur, from a house in the capital’s Jatrabari area Wednesday evening. Japan is the younger brother of Saifur Rahman Saifar, mayor of Alfadanga municipality in Faridpur. According to witnesses, Mujahidul Islam Naim, staff correspondent of Dhaka Times and organizing secretary of Faridpur Press Club, was attacked by Japan and some other miscreants on Monday over a trifling matter. The attackers beat him up mercilessly with rod, cricket stumps and locally-made weapon, leaving him critically injured. Read: Sunamganj journalist assault: 1 more held He was first admitted to Alfadanga Upazila Health Complex and shifted to Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) for better treatment.   A case was filed with Alfadanga Police Station in this regard on Tuesday. Police detained a suspect named Parul Begum who was later produced before the court and sent to jail. 

Chattogram University on Monday suspended four students for their alleged involvement in sexually assaulting two female students of the university last year, officials said. Those suspended are Junayed of Arabic Department of the university, Rubel, Islamic History and Culture Department, Md Raju and Md Emon, of Philosophy Department of the university. All of them were suspended for one year, said CU Registrar (Acting) SM Manirul Hasan while talking at a press briefing held at the conference room of the VC. The university authorities also asked to resolve two more allegations received by Sexual Repression Cell. Read: CU student assault: Police seek 7-day remand for arrestees Already three allegations received by Sexual Repression Cell were resolved and the authorities concerned also warned two more teachers of the university of the allegations brought against them, said Manirul. On September 16, two students of Communication and Journalism Department were allegedly sexually assaulted in front of CU Central Mosque. Besides, another female student was sexually assaulted by five youths while she was going to the Botanical Garden from Pritilata Hall of the campus with his friend on July 17, this year. Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained four people in connection with the alleged assault of a female student that sparked protests on the campus.

Chittagong University Vice Chancellor Professor Dr. Shireen Akhter said all the students who were involved in the assault of a female student on the campus will be expelled. She declared it at the 34th annual senate meeting of the university on Saturday. “We are disheartened by the incident and announcing zero tolerance against such crimes. We are trying our best to ensure justice and law enforcers have already detained four people. The offenders will get highest punishment and will be expelled from the university,” she said. Earlier Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) detained four people including two CU students in connection with the alleged assault that sparked protests on the CU campus. Also read: Four held over CU student assault The detainees were identified as Mohammad Azim, 23, a second year student of History department of CU, Nurul Absar alias Babu, 22, second year student of Anthropology department of CU, Nur Hossain alias Shaon, 22, a first year student of Hathazari Government College, and Masud Rana alias Masud, 22, a second year student of the same college. During questioning, the detainees have confessed to their guilt, said Rab on Saturday. On July 17, a female student was physically assaulted by five youths while she was going to the Botanical Garden from Pritilata Hall of the campus with her friend around 10pm. The goons also captured the incident on video and threatened to make it viral. Later, they fled with the mobile phones and wallets of the two students. Also read: Two of 5 assailants finally identified in CU incident A five-member body was formed to investigate the assault after the female student filed a written complaint to the proctor. A case was also filed under the Women and Children Repression Act accusing five people. On July 19, after the university authorities set the time limit for female students to enter the residential hall before 10 pm after the incident students started a movement against the decision. Since hundreds of CU students have been staging protests, holding human chains every day on the campus demanding justice for the female student who was allegedly harassed.

Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) has detained four people in connection with the alleged assault of a female student of Chattogram University that sparked protests on the campus. The detainees have been identified as Mohammad Azim, 23, son of Amir Hossain of Noakhali, Nur Hossain alias Shaon, 22, son of Zabed Hossain of Fatehpur, Nurul Absar alias Babu, 22, son of Belayet Hossain of Feni district, and Masud Rana alias Masud, 22, son of A Mannan of Jhalakathi district. Tipped off, a team of Rab-7 conducted drives in Hathazar and Raozan upazilas and detained them on Friday night, said Commanding officer of Rab-7, Lieutenant Colonel MA Yusuf, on Saturday morning. Read: 3 held for thrashing disabled man in Bhola During questioning , the detainees have confessed to their guilt, said Rab. On Sunday, a female student was physically assaulted by five youths while she was going to the Botanical Garden from Pritilata Hall of the campus with his friend around 10pm. They had also captured the incident on video and threatened them to make it viral. Later, they fled with the mobile phones and wallets of the two students. A five-member body has already been formed to look into the matter while a complaint was lodged with Hathazari Police. Meanwhile, Chattogram University (CU) students staged a protest on the varsity campus on Wednesday night, demanding justice for the female student. The students had also protested against the university’s diktat asking students to return to the campus latest by 10pm.    

Awami League lawmaker from Rajshahi-1 Omar Faruk Chowdhury and principal of Rajabari Degree College Selim Reza both have trashed  the media reports on assault on the principal by the MP. They held a press conference in the city on Thursday after different newspapers ran reports over the incident, sparking criticism across the country. The press conference was held at political office of MP Omar Faruk Chowdhury in Rajshahi city in presence of principal Selim Reza and Abdul Awal Raju, principal of Matikata Degree College. Selim Reza said,” Abdul Awal had called me to visit MP Faruk’s office on July 7 where I found  seven other principals and vice-principals of different colleges after reaching there.  Later an altercation began among us over forming principal forum committee and other internal issues.” “MP Omar Faruk had to intervene to stop us, nothing else happened that day,” he said. MP Omar Faruk said a syndicate provided false information to create issues and different media presented distorted version the incident of clash among the college teachers. “I mainly called them to exchange Eid greetings but they locked into argument and principal Selim and Abdul Awal attacked each other which I had to stop,” he added. Read: Barishal college teacher assaulted by ‘JCD leader’ The ruling party lawmaker allegedly physically assaulted Principal Selim Reza on Tuesday, according to different media reports.   Later, National University formed a three-member committee to investigate the incident on Wednesday. 

Four sub-inspectors of Sarishabari Police Station have been suspended allegedly for physically assaulting four accused who were undergoing treatment at Sarisabari Upazila Health Complex. The four SI were—Altaf hossain, Saiful Islam, Wazed Ali and Muntaz. Also read:Suspended cop killed in Panchagarh road crash, 4 held Besides, two constables—Mozammel Haque and Sathi Akter-- of the police station have been closed and  attached to the district police lines in this connection,  said Jamalpur superintendent of Police Nasir Uddin Ahmed on Wednesday. Besides, a probe body, headed by Additional superintendent of Police, Zakir Hossain Sumon, was formed to look into the incident.  The committee has been asked to submit its report within three working days. Local people and victims said Mojibur Rahman, a local influential person, swooped on the house of Abdul Jalil, a bagger, at Bausi Bazar in Sarishabari municipality on Monday to grab his land forcibly. They also beat up the house inmates and vandalised the  house. Abdul Jalil, 60, his wife Laile Begum, 50 and six  other  family members were injured during the attack and all were taken to Sarisabari upazila Health complex. Later, Mojibur lodged a complaint against Abdul Jalil and 14 others with Sarisabari Police. Among the accused, four were undergoing treatment at the hospital. Also read: Now, Sylhet inspector suspended over FB status update on ‘teep protest’ After receiving the complaint, six police personnel including the four sub-inspectors of the police station dragged the four accused out of the hospital and arrested them. Terming the incident as inhuman, Dr Debasish Rajbongshi, Resident Medical Officer of Sarishabari Upazila Health Complex, said police took the discharge certificate while the injured accused were undergoing treatment at the hospital. Action was taken instantly against those police personnel when the matter came to light, said SP Nasiruddin Ahmed.