The government has removed Rangpur City Corporation鈥檚 chief executive officer Umme Fatema from her post over allegations of her involvement in the harassment of a journalist, Liaquat Ali Badal.
The incident involved taking the journalist forcibly to the city corporation office by a gang and intimidating him over a news report on September 21.
Signed by public administration ministry joint secretary Abul Hayat Md Rafiq, a September 25 government order instructed the Local Government Division to reassign Fatema as CEO of the district council.
Journalist Liaquat filed a case with the Kotwali police station on September 22, accusing 14 named, including Fatema, nine other city corporation officials and a former councillor, and 25 unidentified individuals, in this connection.
The charges include illegal confinement, attempted murder, physical assault, abduction and issuing threats of death and violence.
Police have already arrested two suspects in this connection.
According to the case statement, the journalist was attacked near the Court Mosque at Kachari Bazar, near the office of the deputy commissioner.
The attackers allegedly formed a mob, beat him and held a knife to his chest, the statement said, adding that the attackers threatened him over a news report and demanded that he apologise in person to the CEO at her office.
Umme Fatema denied the allegation, saying that 鈥榯here is no question of bringing the journalist forcibly to apologise over a report.鈥�
Liaquat, who works for a private television channel Ekushey TV and a national daily The Sangbad, claimed that the attack was carried out following the publication of his report titled 鈥楢uto-rickshaw licences issued in the names of July fighters in Rangpur: a Tk 5-crore scam鈥� in The Sangbad on September 17.
