A journalist of the Daily Amar Desh was allegedly beaten by activists of Bangladesh Nationalist Party and staff members at the party chairperson鈥檚 office in the capital鈥檚 Gulshan on Sunday.
BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir later condemned the incident in a statement.
Witnesses said the incident took place around 4:30pm during the interview session of nomination seekers from Sylhet division.
Jahidul Islam, a staff reporter of Daily Amar Desh, said, 鈥榃hile I was recording video footage of the interaction between nomination aspirants and the interview board, three to four people suddenly dragged me away, snatched my press ID, and broke my mobile phone.鈥�
鈥楨ven after I offered to delete the footage, they continued beating me and forced me out of the office,鈥� he added.
Several other journalists from different media outlets were also reportedly harassed during the scuffle with BNP activists and office staff, according to witnesses.
In a statement issued on Sunday night, BNP secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir expressed regret over the incident.
鈥楢t around 4:00pm today, during an attack and clash at the BNP chairperson鈥檚 Gulshan office, Amar Desh reporter Jahidul Islam was injured and some journalists present were harassed. The incident was sudden and caused by a misunderstanding. I sincerely apologise to Jahidul Islam and all the journalists present during this unfortunate event,鈥� he said.
He added, 鈥楯ournalists inform the public about the statements, speeches, and activities of political parties. This is why the media maintains an inseparable relationship with political parties.鈥�
