A journalist was reportedly assaulted in Gosairhat upazila of Shariatpur while gathering information on a gambling and drug operation. The journalist, identified as Nayan Das, who works as a correspondent for the online news portal Dhaka Post in Shariatpur, was attacked in the Nagerpara Bazar area while on assignment, resulting in his hospitalization. A criminal case has been filed in connection with the assault.
According to Officer-in-Charge Azizul of Gosairhat Police Station, Nayan Das filed a complaint naming individuals including Saidul Akon, Monir Jamaddar, Nazrul Kazi, and Likhon Kazi, as well as several unidentified assailants. The complaint was officially recorded as a case following the incident.
The assault took place after Nayan Das and other journalists visited Molongchara based on reports of drug and gambling activities in the area. When the journalists began documenting the scene on February 23, the suspects fled upon noticing their presence. On a subsequent visit to Nagerpara Bazar, members of the group allegedly involved in illegal activities intercepted Nayan Das and physically assaulted him. He was later rescued by locals and taken to Gosairhat upazila Health Complex for treatment.
Nayan Das recounted the events, stating that upon receiving information from locals, he and fellow journalists Shahed Ahmed Babu and Hasan Sikdar went to the location to gather evidence through video footage and photographs. As they began documenting, the perpetrators fled the scene but later attacked Nayan Das in Nagerpara Bazar, causing injuries to his body and stealing his camera and mobile phone.
The assailants, including Saidul Akon, Monir Jamaddar, Nazrul Kazi, and Likhon Kazi, who are allegedly linked to the illegal activities, assaulted Nayan Das with sticks and punches before fleeing. Nayan Das was subsequently admitted to the hospital with injuries to his shoulder, head, and other body parts.
Expressing concerns over the rising attacks on journalists nationwide, Mohammad Rajib Hossain, the general secretary of the Shariatpur Online Journalists Association, emphasized the importance of promptly apprehending the perpetrators to prevent similar incidents from occurring in the future.