ASI suspended for torturing journalist at Shahbagh

Dhaka Metropolitan Police on Thursday suspended assistant sub-inspector Ershad Mandal  for beating a cameraperson of private television channel ATN News during the strike of by Rampal protesters at Shahbagh in the capital.  

The suspension was announced this evening after photographs of the torture in went viral on social media.

Deputy commissioner Maruf Hossain Sardar of Ramna zone police confirmed the matter and said they were trying to identify the other law enforcers who were involved in the attack on journalist.

Police were seen furious since the morning of the eight-hour general strike enforced by the National Committee to Protect Oil, Gas, Mineral Resources, Power and Ports to press home their 7-point demand, including scrapping coal-based Rampal power plant near the Sunderbans.

Police fired rubber bullets, teargas shells and sprayed water from water cannon to disperse the supporters who gathered at Shahbagh.

A large number of law enforcers were deployed in the area.

In the afternoon around 1:30pm police caught ATN News cameraperson Abdul Alim while he was recording an event of arresting two protesters in front of the Shabagh police station.

Several police men snatched Alim’s camera and started to kick him while also torn apart his shirt.

The ASI was seen attacking Alim’s neck with his leg in the photos.   

The national committee enforced the general strike as it fears that if Rampal plant is implemented, the Sunderbans, the world’s largest mangrove forest and a World Heritage site, would be destroyed and about 35 lakh people dependent on the mangrove forest, would lose their earning sources.

They said many would become environmental refugees and that nearly five crore people would be exposed to natural calamities.

Source: NewAge