Journalist Sentenced to 10 Days Jail for Seeking Corruption Information; Media Organizations Protest

Staff Reporter

Journalist Rokonuzzaman Tipu has been sentenced to 10 days imprisonment while investigating corruption allegations in a government project in Tala upazila, Satkhira. Tala Upazila Nirbahi Officer (UNO) and Executive Magistrate Sheikh Md. Russel announced the verdict through a mobile court on Tuesday.

Tipu, the upazila correspondent of local daily Kaler Kantho, became embroiled in an altercation with Sub-Assistant Engineer M.M. Mamun Alam while gathering information about alleged corruption in a Tk 90 crore project at the Tala Upazila Parishad Complex.

The UNO stated that after examining eyewitness accounts of the scuffle, the journalist was punished under Section 176 of the penal code.

The incident has sparked outrage among journalist communities. Tala Press Club, local journalists, and the Bangladesh Mohanogor Sangsad Forum (BMSF) have strongly condemned the action.

BMSF Trustee Board Chairman Ahmed Abu Zafar said, “Punishing a journalist for seeking information violates the Right to Information Act and encourages corruption.”

Tala Press Club President M.M. Hakim termed it “regrettable that a journalist faces punishment for reporting corruption, which contradicts free journalism.”

Tipu claimed he was investigating substandard construction allegations when engineer Mamun Alam assaulted him, leading to a physical altercation.

Tala Upazila Engineer Rathindra Nath Halder said he wasn’t present during the incident but later learned about the attack on his colleague.

BMSF announced preparations for a human chain protest in Tala on Wednesday.