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Kamal Majumder slated for assault on journalists

Staff Correspondent
Different organisations yesterday scathingly criticised ruling Awami League lawmaker Kamal Ahmed Majumder's assault on a female journalist on Tuesday, and demanded punishment for him.
The member of parliament, on the other hand, at a media conference yesterday claimed that he did not assault reporter Aparna Singha of private satellite television channel Rtv.
Kamal was videotaped on Tuesday assaulting Aparna, while his men assaulted videographer Syed Haider, and another reporter Shahin Parvez, when they went to Monipur High School and College in the capital to seek Kamal's comment on the school authority's decision to charge admission fees way beyond the amount fixed by the government.
Kamal is the president of the school's management committee. The videotape of the assault was aired by different television channels. Transparency International, Bangladesh (TIB) in a statement condemned the incident and termed it an "unforgivable offence".
Ain O Salish Kendra (ASK), a human rights organisation, in a statement said the incident will seriously hamper freedom of press, and free-domofexpression.
"This kind of attitude goes completely against the electoral pledge of the current government of ensuring freedom of the mass media and newspapers. The attitude is disrespectful to freedom of expression, and also suicidal for the ruling party," TIB Executive Director Dr Iftekharuzzaman said in a media release.
He also said by preventing journalists from covering corruption at Monipur school, and by attacking journalists the member of parliament acted against democracy, and undermined the parliament. He questioned Kamal's credibility as a representative of the people.
Dr Iftekharuzzaman demanded exemplary punishment for persons involved in the assault.
TIB also demanded a ban on involvement of lawmakers in school management committees to block chances of corruption in schools.
Meanwhile, journalists formed a human chain in the capital yesterday demanding punishment for Kamal and the others who assaulted the reporters.
At the human chain in front of Jatiya Press Club, they also demanded proper investigation of the incident, and urged transparency in the probe committee already formed by the education minister.
The demonstrators also urged the prime minister to take necessary action against the ruling party lawmaker.
Jatiya Press Club General Secretary Syed Abdal Ahmed
condemned the incident and said the government must ensure security of journalists to ensure freedom of the press.
Abdul Jalil Bhuyian, general secretary of Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, said such an attack on journalists is a nasty interference in the mass media, and journalists should unite to protest this kind of incidents.
Around 200 journalists including Dhaka Reporters' Unity President Shakhawat Hossain Badsha and Rtv News In-charge Lutfor Rahman Shikder joined the human chain.
KAMAL'S MEDIA CONFERENCE Kamal Majumder also held a media conference yesterday in Shawrapara branch of Monipur school where no written statement was given to journalists. The venue was packed with Kamal's supporters leaving very little room for journalists. Some schoolboys and teachers of the school were also in the conference room.
At the briefing Kamal denied assaulting the female reporter, and termed the uproar about the incident "a conspiracy hatched by Jamaat-e-Islami".
"I did not beat anyone, even after that if you are aggrieved, I apologise," he said.
He said when the reporter and the videographer of Rtv were scuffling with teachers, he caught the female reporter's hand to stop the scuffling. But the video was edited to misrepresent the incident, claimed the lawmaker.
"I have become old enough and also escaped death. Now do you think I have the strength to twist someone's hand?" he asked the journalists.
He said he submitted Demand Order letters to Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Education Minister Nurul Islam Nahid
seeking their permission to charge extra
Tk 20,000 as donation money for admission of new students to Monipur High School since new branches of the school are not listed for the government's monthly payment order (MPO).
"We wanted to run the school according to public private partnership model," he said adding that he did not get any answer from the prime minister or the education minister.
He said about 75 percent of the teachers in Monipur High School and College are Jamaat supporters and Tuesday's incident was a Jamaat conspiracy to destroy the school's reputation.
GDs FILED
Two separate general diaries were filed with Mirpur police in connection with Tuesday's incident.
Osman Goni Babul, a correspondent of Rtv filed one GD while the other was filed by Farhad Hossain, principal of Monipur school, said Kazi Wazed Ali, officer-in-charge of the police station.
The OC said they started an investigation of the allegations made in the GDs.