Bangladeshi journalists attacked while covering extortion

At least five journalists reported being attacked on April 13, 2013, while covering alleged extortion by students at Dhaka University in the capital. News accounts said the students had been extorting money from drivers of vehicles in the surrounding area, but did not offer further details.

News accounts identified the journalists as Prothom Alo‘s correspondent Ahmed Zaif; Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha‘s correspondent Moloy Kumar Dutta; bdnews24‘s Sujon Mondol; Daily Star‘s Protik Chakrabarty; and Prothom Alo‘s senior correspondent Shariful Hasan. The reports said that Dulal Samaddar, a journalism student at the university, was also beaten.

News accounts reported that the assailants identified themselves to the journalists at the time as Dhaka University students belonging to the Bangladesh Chhatra League, the student wing of the ruling Awami League party.

University authorities identified 21 students as having participated in the assault and turned in six to the police, according to news reports. The students denied extorting money and said they had not attacked the journalists, according to news reports.

Dhaka University expelled 11 of the students, the reports said.