BANGLADESH: One suspect held in Gautam murder

The Daily Star
Sunday, November 20, 2005

One person was arrested in Faridpur town yesterday in connection with the murder of journalist Goutam Das.

Police picked up Tamjid Hossain Babu, 35, son of a former Awami League lawmaker, from his residence and produced him in the court. The court placed Babu on a seven-day remand.

Goutam Das, Faridpur bureau chief of Dainik Samakal, was strangled in his office on Wednesday night.

Journalists' leaders in Dhaka yesterday strongly protested the killing of Gautam Das and gave a three-day ultimatum to the government to arrest the killers.

Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ) and Dhaka Union of Journalists (DUJ) at a rally on the Jatiya Press Club premises threatened to go for a tougher action programme against the government if it failed to arrest the culprits involved in the murder by the deadline.

Bitterly criticising the government for its failure to ensure the security of the journalists, the apex body of the journalist unions and the DUJ also announced a three-day programme protesting the killing.

The programmes include holding of a protest rally at Faridpur and wearing black badges.

Addressing the rally on the Jatiya Press Club premises, BFUJ President Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury demanded immediate arrest and trial of the killers of Goutam Das

The rally was addressed, among others, by BFUJ Secretary General Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul and DUJ President Altaf Mahmud.

Later, the journalists took out a procession in the city

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Chamber of Industries (BCI) yesterday strongly protested and condemned the killing of journalist Goutam Das.

Expressing grave concern over the deterioration of law and order, the business body, in a statement, also demanded arrest of and exemplary punishment to the killers.

Hasina condemns journo murder, demands trial

Opposition Leader Sheikh Hasina has condemned the grisly murder of journalist Goutam Das and demanded trial of the killers.

Hasina, also the president of the Awami League (AL), in a statement yesterday said no one has been arrested even 48 hours into the murder of Goutam Das, Faridpur bureau chief of the Daily Samakal.

She said, earlier, 12 journalists, including Manik Saha, Humayan Kabir Balu, Dipankar Chakraborty had been assassinated, but no trials and investigations into the killings have been conducted so far.

The journalists are working risking their lives but the government is completely indifferent, she alleged, adding that the BNP-Jamaat alliance is not inclined to try the killers.

Hasina in her statement urged all to launch a united movement to oust the alliance government for what she said was its failure to ensure the security of journalists.