A Bangladesh Nationalist Party leader filed a case against four journalists on charges of demanding extortion and defaming the party鈥檚 chairperson Khaleda Zia and acting chairman Tarique Rahman.
Bazlul Haque Montu, joint convener of the Rajshahi city BNP, filed the case against four named and four to five unnamed people on charges of extortion under the Cyber Security Act with the Boalia model police station on Tuesday afternoon, said Masud Pervej, officer-in-charge of the police station.
Rajshahi Union of Journalist president and Rajshahi bureau chief of Daily Kaler Kantho Rafiqul Islam, Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists鈥� joint secretary and Gazi TV鈥檚 staff correspondent in Rajshahi Rashed Ibn Obaid (Rashed Ripon), Dainik Karatoa鈥檚 Rajshahi correspondent Rozina Sultana, and Rajshahi-based local Daily Upachar journalist Asgar Ali were made the accused in the case.
According to the case statement, the accused went to the Rajshahi city BNP office in the Malopara area on December 2, 2022, a day before the party鈥檚 divisional rally in Rajshahi, and demanded Tk 1 lakh as extortion.
鈥楾hey also threatened me with death if I did not pay them the money,鈥� Montu mentioned in the case statement.
The BNP leader also alleged that they arranged cards with pictures of the party founder, Ziaur Rahman, chairperson Khaleda Zia, and acting chairman Tarique Rahman for the reporters as the media pass centring the divisional rally.
鈥楾hough most of the journalists working in Rajshahi accepted the media card spontaneously, the accused refused to accept it and made various defamatory remarks on Khaleda Zia and Tarique Rahman. The accused also defamed the party top leaders on social and electronic media,鈥� he mentioned in the case statement.
Bazlul Haque Montu also mentioned in the statement that he saw and heard the defamatory news on RTV news on the evening of December 3, 2022, while sitting at the city BNP office in the Malopara area.
鈥楽ince the political situation was not favourable at that time, there had been a delay in filing the case,鈥� he further mentioned.
Contacted, RUJ president Rafiqul Islam said that he did not know BNP leader Bazlul Haque Montu and never met him.
鈥楢head of the BNP鈥檚 Rajshahi divisional rally on December 3, 2022, we told the BNP leaders that journalists would not hang media passes with pictures of any political party leaders. We entered the rally place and covered the event using our own press cards. No BNP leader then raised any question about that issue. It seems that BNP leader Bazlul Haque Montu has filed the case only to harass the journalists personally,鈥� he added.
BFUJ joint secretary Rashed Ripon said that Bazlul Haque Montu prevented the carpenters from working in his house on August 22, 2024.
鈥楳ontu told me that he would get Tk 3 lakh from the son of the previous owner of my house. He will not let me do any work for the house if his money is not paid back. Montu then threatened to file a case against me on charge of defaming Tarique Rahman,鈥� he said.
Bazlul Haque Montu could not be reached for his comments despite repeated attempts over the phone.
