Online Desk  :   Journalists working in the media outlets of East West Media Group Limited (EWMGL) from a human chain today (Aug 20) demanded the arrest of those who attacked the media house on Monday within 48 hours. They gave the ultimatum forming the human chain in front of the media complex in Bashundhara area around 3 pm.

Kaler Kantho Editor-in-Chief Imdadul Haq Milan, Daily Sun Editor-in-chief Enamul Hoque Chowdhury, Banglanews24.com Editor Jewel Mazhar, Daily Sun Editor Md Rezaul Karim Lotus, News24 Executive Editor Rahul Raha, Kaler Kantho Deputy Editor Haider Ali, its planing Editor Mahbubul Haque, Assistant Editor Ali Habib, and Radio Capital Coordinator Ruhul Amin among others participated in the event.

The speakers at the protest programme said that miscreants attacked the country’s leading media house with an ill-motive to misdirect the goals of the student-led mass upsurge that ousted the autocratic Awami League government on 5 August.

Strongly condemning the attack on media, they said students were not involved in the unexpected and unacceptable incident. The miscreants should be identified and punished accordingly by scrutinising the CCTV footages, they remarked.The protesters also demanded ensuring of safety of all the journalists and media houses in the country.

Mentionable, miscreants carried out an attack on the EWMGL Complex in Bashundhara Residential Area of the capital on Monday afternoon, ransacking the offices of Radio Capital and the Kaler Kantho. They also vandalised at least 20 vehicles parked on the complex premises, creating a frightening situation and leaving the journalists and employees panic-stricken.

A female journalist was assaulted during the mayhem.The criminals chanted different slogans against the deposed Awami League government to make it appear that the quota reform movement activists carried out the attack.

However, the students of North South University and other educational institutions rushed to the EWMGL Complex after hearing about the attack, making it clear that the students had no link with the attack. They demanded that the attackers be arrested immediately.

EWMGL, the country’s leading media conglomerate, houses English newspaper Daily Sun, two Bangla dailies – Bangladesh Pratidin and Kaler Kantho, online news portal Banglanews24.com, two television channels – News24 and T Sports, and radio station Radio Capital FM 94.8.