Staff Correspondent, Rajshahi

Miscreants stabbed a journalist in front of local press club in Rajshahi’s Mohonpur upazila on Thursday evening, reportedly for writing about an unauthorised market.

Shahin Sagar (26), Mohonpur upazila correspondent of daily Rajshahi Sangbad, was admitted to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital with seven stab wounds, said OC Mostak Ahmed of Mohonpur Police Station. Shahin was released from the hospital yesterday afternoon.

Police arrested Kawsar Ali (25), one of the six persons Shahin accused in a case filed with Mohonpur Police Station yesterday, the OC said adding that police also seized a knife used for stabbing Shahin from Kawsar’s possession.

This was the second attack on Shahin since publication of his report, the OC said.

On April 23, Rajshahi Sangbad published a report headlined “Mohonpure raate boschhe haat” (Temporary markets in Mohonpur operating at night).

Two day later, the haat’s lease-holder Akkas Ali threatened Shahin of dire consequences. Later, local UP member Alamgir Hossain, president of a local ward Awami League unit at Dhuroil, threatened him on behalf of Akkas, said the OC.

On May 11, Alamgir’s men attacked him and fractured his head by throwing a brick-chip, the OC said.

Shahin filed a case regarding the attack accusing four persons including Kawsar.

Police arrested all four accused, but they later secured bail. The accused persons and Alamgir were pressing Shahin to withdraw the case. “I denied to give in to their threats,” Shahin told this newspaper.

On Thursday evening when Shahin went to the local press club, he was attacked by a group of five who stabbed him indiscriminately and fled, he said.

Locals rescued him and rushed him to local upazila health complex. He was later shifted to RMCH.

Shahin filed the case accusing Alamgir, and Alamgir’s men Kawsar, Abdul Halim, Ekhtar, Roni Hossain, and Abdus Salam.

OC Mostak said all the accused apart from the arrestee are absconding. The Daily Star failed to contact Alamgir, despite several attempts.