Journalist harassed, locked up allegedly by transportation workers for protesting passenger harassment
Bangladesh
A freelance journalist based in North America has been harassed and locked up in a room allegedly by transportation workers in Chattogram's Hathazari for protesting against the harassment of a passenger earlier this week.
"A few youngsters locked up an innocent Chattogram city-bound passenger in the Hathazari bus counter after forcibly taking him out of a CNG. They claimed to be leaders of the transportation workers' union. When I protested, they began to harass me," said Nazmul Islam, an expatriate and former broadcast journalist for Gazi TV. He currently works as a freelance journalist from a North American country.
"A number of unidentified youths, led by a man named Liton, who claimed to be the joint secretary of the transportation workers' body, abused me and snatched my mobile phone.
"When I introduced myself as a journalist and said I would call the cops, they harassed me more. At one point, they also locked me up.
"I was later rescued by local journalists," he added.
"Locals complained that members of the workers' union harass innocent passengers all the time," he also said.
Meanwhile, confirming the incident, Chattogram Inter-District Road Transport Workers League General Secretary Oli Ahmed told The Business Standard that it happened due to a misunderstanding.
"Yesterday (21 January) night everyone involved sat down and resolved the issue," he added.
Abu Taleb, organising secretary of Hathazari Press Club, said with the mediation of the leaders of the Chattogram Road Transport Owners' Group, Chattogram Metropolitan and Inter-District Bus Owners Association, a meeting took place between journalists and leaders of the Chattogram-Nazirhat-Khagrachari Minibus Owners' Association.
In the meeting, the accused apologised by giving a verbal guarantee that such incidents would not happen again in the future.
At the same time, the bus owners' association also assured to take proper steps to ensure justice in this regard.
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