Armed robbers at Weekly Blitz editor's residence
Police trying to save the culprits

December 15, 2009

http://www.weeklyblitz.net/356/armed-robbers-at-weekly-blitz-editors-residence

The housekeeper at the residence of internationally known award winning anti-Jihadist journalist and editor of Weekly Blitz was released from Dhaka Medical College Hospital in the afternoon of December 15, 2009 with four stitches in his ear, which was seriously injured with sharp knife by the armed robbers, who entered the residence during early hours of the day.

Subsequently, Executive Editor of Weekly Blitz, Sohail Choudhury went to Uttara Police Station to lodge a complaint about the incident. But, instead of recording the complaint, police simply forced him to write that those were thieves and the police also did not allow the executive editor to mention about the injury of the housekeeper.

Sub Inspector of Uttara Police Station, Ashraful Islam has been assigned as the investigation officer of the matter, though police never registered the complaint. Till writing of this report, none of the members of Bangladeshi law enforcing agencies visited the spot to further investigate the matter or to accord security and protection to the family members of the internationally known award winning journalist.

A number of senior officials of various law enforcement agencies were contacted by the Weekly Blitz editor, while none extended any sort of cooperation. The Weekly Blitz editor called the investigation officer over his cell phone and asked the reason of shifting the case into a mere theft attempt from robbery, while those intruders were all armed and seriously injured the housekeeper. The investigation officer told the editor that according to Bangladeshi law, if the number of miscreants is less than three, it cannot be termed as robbery.

The officer failed to justify the reason behind not letting the executive editor of the newspaper in mentioning about the armed men assaulting the housekeeper. He also failed to answer as to why necessary protections were not ensured at the residence of Salah Uddin Shoaib Choudhury.

The officer-in-charge of Uttara Police Station avoided all calls from the newspaper. It may be mentioned here that, Uttara area is the constituency of Bangladeshi Home Minister Advocate Shahara Khatun.

The entire country went inside grips of total lawlessness since the present government came in power. It was even reported on several occasions that members of law enforcing agencies were reluctant in taking any action against the criminals.

It may be mentioned here that, Weekly Blitz office was attacked by armed criminals on February 22, 2009. Despite lodging of a formal complaint, police did not take any action against the perpetrators nor did it ever tried to arrest those people responsible for the attack. It was learnt and even endorsed by the members of law enforcing agencies that, those attackers of February 22, 2009 incident were members of the ruling party and were enjoying support and blessings from influential figures in the ruling party.

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