A journalist was hacked to death on Thursday evening, August 7, reportedly over filming some machete-wielding attackers in Gazipur city – a shocking attack that has sparked outrage and raised serious concerns about press freedom and public safety.
Asaduzzaman Tuhin, 38, a staff reporter for the daily newspaper Pratidin Kagoj, was killed around 7:45pm at the busy Chandana intersection, near the Mosque Market in central Gazipur.
According to eyewitnesses, Tuhin was sitting in a tea stall when a group of armed assailants suddenly surrounded him and attacked him with sharp weapons. He was hacked multiple times and his throat was slit before the attackers fled the scene. Tuhin died on the spot.
Tuhin, originally from Bhatipara of Fulbaria station in Mymensingh, lived with his family in the Chandana area.
CCTV footage showed the murder followed his filming some machete-wielding people chasing an individual at the same intersection.
Police have recovered the body and sent it to the morgue. OC Shaheen Khan of Basan Police Station confirmed that an investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the killing.
Another journalist attacked a day earlier
This murder follows another violent incident targeting a journalist in the same district just one day prior.
On Wednesday afternoon, August6, Anwar Hossain, correspondent for a national daily in Gazipur, was brutally assaulted in the Sahapara area of Gazipur town after protesting against illegal extortion from footpath vendors in the Railgate and Sahapara zones.
Eyewitnesses said a group of miscreants, angered by his activism, attacked Hossain with bricks, severely injuring his legs and other parts of his body. Graphic footage of the assault has since gone viral on social media.
Disturbingly, police were present at the scene but failed to intervene immediately. Witnesses reported that officers stood by and watched as the attack unfolded. Only after the beating ended did police step in, rescuing Hossain and taking him to Shaheed Tajuddin Ahmed Medical College Hospital.
OC Mehedi Hasan of Sadar Metro Police Station confirmed that a case has been filed by the victim’s mother. Police are investigating the incident and have launched a drive to arrest the perpetrators.
Growing concerns over safety of journalists
The back-to-back attacks have sparked alarm among journalist unions and civil society groups, who are demanding immediate action to protect media workers and ensure accountability.
Press freedom advocates warn that the targeting of journalists for reporting on local corruption and criminal activities reflects a dangerous erosion of democratic safeguards.