Janajuddho faction of outlawed Purba Banglar Communist Party (PBCP-ML) yesterday threatened to kill eight journalists of Satkhira and officer-in-charge (OC) of Tala Police Station. In letters to Satkhira Reporters' Club and Press Club, self-styled Khulna divisional secretary of the organisation Tushar said the newsmen will be executed very shortly, Ram Krishna Chakraborty, local correspondent of daily Jugantar who received death threat, told The Daily Star.

Blaming Ram Krishna Chakraborty for 'helping police' to nab their leader Kartik Chandra Rishi who was killed in a 'crossfire' with police on January 20, the letters said that he will be executed.

They held Tala OC Shah Mashiur Rahman responsible for Kartik's killing and threatened to kill him too in a short time.

Letters termed seven other journalists 'class enemies' and threatened toliquidate them.

They further asked local journalists not to 'misreport' their activities.

Those who received death threats are: Ram Krishna Chakraborty

(Jugantar), Mizanur Rahman (Janakantha), Kalyan Banerjee (Prothom Alo), Anisur Rahim (editor, daily Satkhira Chitra), Abul Kalam Azad (executive editor, daily Patradut), Kazi Dulal (Gramer Kagoj), Subhas Chowdhury (Bhorer Kagoj), Abul Kalam (Ittefaq) and Tala OC Shah Mashuir Rahman.

Panic has gripped the local journalists after getting the death threats.

Satkhira district administration has taken measures for the security of panicked journalists and police have been deployed at Satkhira Reporters Club and Press Club, sources said.