Editor of Weekly Blitz Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury
Despite lodging of a case more than 24 hours back [Case No. 65, under section 143, 448, 323, 342, 384, 380, 227 and 506], members of law enforcing agencies in Bangladesh are showing extreme reluctance in arresting any of the attackers, who attacked the office of Weekly Blitz on Sunday [February 22, 2009], physically assaulted the editor and other members, abused the female staffs and looted laptop and other valuables in a broad day light crime in presence of One Shamim from DGFI [Directorate General of Forces Intelligence]
Members of law enforcing agencies were witnessing the incident silently as the attackers were mostly claiming to be activists and leaders of the ruling party in Bangladesh.
Others who were in the gang are identified as Ruhul Amin, Shintu, Liton, Yunus, Humayun, Siraj, Lavlu, Kajol etc. According to police sources, most of them were thugs belonging to the ruling party.
At 10am Sunday, local time, internationally-
It may be recalled here that a large group of armed hooligans led by one Shamim introducing himself to be an official of DGFI stormed Blitz premises and attacked newspaper staff until they found the editor. They locked the editor in a room and continued various forms of physical assaults thus abusing him to be a ‘Mossad Agent', ‘Israeli Agent' etc. Culprits are continuing to occupy the Blitz office.
Choudhury was arrested in 2003 by government agents, in cooperation with Islamist forces, because of his advocacy of relations with Israel and religious equality, and his articles exposing the rise of radical Islam in Bangladesh. He was tortured and held for seventeen months and only released after strong pressure by human rights activist Dr. Richard Benkin and US Congressman Mark Kirk [R-IL]. In 2007, the US Congress passed a Kirk-introduced resolution 409-1 calling on Bangladesh to stop harassing Choudhury and drop capital charges against him after extensive evidence confirmed them to be false, contrary to Bangladeshi law, and as admitted by successive Bangladeshi officials, maintained only to appease Islamists. The Bangladeshi government continues to remain in defiance of that resolution and its provisions.
Meanwhile, one of the leaders of the attacker's gang named Ruhul Amin is continuing to give threats to the Weekly Blitz editors and other members of the newspaper on immediately withdrawing the case. In a phone call, Ruhul Amin said, 'I give you people only 24 hours time. Withdraw the case; otherwise our next target is Choudhury's residence.'
It may be mentioned here that, Ruhul Amin is a smuggler for decades under cover of shop owner at Dhaka's Bangabazar area. He maintains huge gang of musclemen and armed cadres as his main profession is extortion, robbery, grabbing of property and similar illegal actions. He is patronized by one Advocate Shintu, who claims to be the advisor of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Advocate Shintu also phoned the Blitz editor several days back and demanded TK. 500,000 extortion.
Weekly Blitz tried to find the reason behind reluctance of police in taking any action against the culprits as to why the attackers are yet to be arrested. On condition of anonymity, a source in police said, 'We have already become captive in the grips of the political government and its cadres. We can watch crime, but cannot take actions. Because, if we take any action against those party activists, then we shall face various forms of departmental harassments and humiliations.'
Photo:
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