FEBRUARY 1, 2005
Posted: March 7, 2005
Ram Krishna Chakraborty, Jugantor Mizanur Rahman, Janakantha
Kalyan Banerji, Prothom Alo
Anisur Rahim, Satkhira Chitra
Abul Kalam Azad, Patradut
Suvash Choudhury, Bhorer Kagoj
Kazi Dulal, Gramer Kagoj
Manirul Islam, Ittefaq
THREATENED
Letters sent to newspapers and a local press club threatened eight journalists in the southwestern district of Satkhira with death. Two dailies, Dainik Patradut and Satkhira Chitra, and the Satkhira Reporters’ Club and Press Club received letters, which claimed to be from Janajuddha (People’s War), a faction of the outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party, according to local sources and news reports.
The letters accused journalist Ram Krishna Chakraborty of acting in conjunction with police in the arrest of Janajuddha activist and leader Kartik Das on January 19. Das died in crossfire with police on January 20. The message branded the eight journalists as “class enemies” and asked local journalists not to “misreport” the organization’s activities.
In 2004, the same group claimed responsibility for the death of two journalists, Manik Saha and Humayun Kabir, and threatened other journalists in the region.
On February 2, police arrested Alamgir Hossain Moniu in connection with the threats to the journalists and a police officer, according to The Daily Star.