Vernacular tabloid Manabzamin has published an interview of Zulkarnain Saer’s “victim” brother’s interview, where he said, on March 17, 2023 at around 8’oclock at night, Mahenur Khan went out of his residence for buying battery of watch. Suddenly several people attacked him with iron rods and severely assaulted him. They did not utter a word while beating him.
Here is English translation of Manabzamin’s report:
Mahinur Ahmed Khan went to the shop in front of the house to buy a watch battery on March 17 at around 8 pm. After paying the shopkeeper after buying batteries, a group of people attacked him from behind. Beaten and bleeding, they fled. Mahinur Ahmed Khan is the brother of expatriate Bangladeshi journalist Zulkarnain Sayer Sameer. Mahinur lives in a house in West Sheorapara with his family. He was attacked in front of that house. But he cannot say anything about why he was attacked. He did not recognize the attackers. The attack was condemned by the United States, the United Nations Human Rights Organization and the CPJ, a global organization of journalists. A fair investigation of this incident has also been demanded.
Mahinur spoke to Manabzamin yesterday [March 26, 2023] at his home about the attack. He described the attack in detail.
He said, no one has enmity with him. There is no business dispute with anyone. He is not active on Facebook either. He does not write on any blog. He is not a permanent resident of the area in front of which, he was attacked. It is rented house. He has no relationship with anyone in that area.
Going to West Sheorapara, it can be seen that Mahinur lives with his wife and one child on the fourth floor of a 10-storey building next to East West School. In front of the house there is a small intersection of three roads. The [building where he lives] is on the crossroads. Bismillah store is next to a small road. Mahinur was attacked in front of that shop. Going there, it was seen that the investigating police officer was taking information in front of that house. Another officer was drawing the sketch map of the area for the case file. However, no CCTV camera was found in front of the house. There is a cc camera after 4 buildings. Police has collected the CCTV footage. However, the police have not been able to identify anyone so far. Police said that a case has been registered with the police station. Investigation is going on as per information provided by the victim. They will be able to arrest the culprits.
Going to Mahinur’s house, it is seen that Mahinur cannot walk alone. He has to walk with the help of his wife. Both of his legs were injured in the attack. Swelling was observed in the left leg. He has cut marks on his legs.
Mahinur said, I left home at 8:05 on March 17. The purpose of going out was to buy batteries for a wall clock at home. I went to the Bismillah store in front of the house. There was rush of people on the road. There were no customers in the shop. I bought the watch battery and paid the shopkeeper. Four youth attacked me the moment I returned after buying batteries. They started beating me randomly with iron rods. I have never seen them; I don’t know them. He further said, I shouted and asked – why are you beating me? Who are you? But they didn’t listen. They continued beating me. The four youths who attacked me were wearing t-shirts and jeans pants. But one was wearing a red genji. That young man beat me more. Everyone had iron rods. Everyone hurt me.
He also said that the security guard of the house brought me inside the gate after seeing me covered in blood. After receiving the call, his wife came down and took him to the hospital. I never saw those who attacked me. My brother Sami is a journalist for Al Jazeera. I think I fell into grudge because of Sami. The attackers also broke my mobile phone saying ‘you are a new journalist’.
Mahinur’s wife said that a group of miscreants beat my husband in front of the house. No one came forward. We are now suffering from insecurity. I will tell the police to quickly arrest the attackers and bring them under the law.
Farid Uddin, security guard of the house, said, I was sitting on a tool inside the gate of the house. At this time, I heard a commotion outside. I went outside and saw that sir [Mahinur] was lying in a pool of blood. Then I brought him home. There was traffic jam on the road.
Abul Kalam Azad, the owner of Bismillah Store, said that Mahinoor was beaten up in front of my shop. Before he knew anything, the attackers suddenly came and attacked Mahinur. Everyone started running in panic. The assailants attacked and fled quickly through the front lane.
An eyewitness, who did not want to be named, said that he saw four young men doing reiki in front of the house for a long time. But he had never seen them in this area before. Four of them walked and talked on mobile for about an hour. He also said that the person [Mahinur] was attacked after coming in front of the shop. Rods were seen in everyone’s hands.
In this regard, the Assistant Commissioner of Mirpur Zone of Police Hasan Mohammad Muhtarim told Manavzamin, “The victim filed a case against four unidentified persons at the police station. The case is under investigation”.
Earlier, Mahinur Khan gave different statement to a number of international media, including Al Jazeera and OCCRP.
On March 24, 2023, Mahinur Khan told Al Jazeera that four unknown men surrounded him when he went out for groceries in the Maripur neighborhood of Dhaka. “They attacked me with iron rods, saying ‘Your brother writes about the PM? Against the government? He is a journalist? We will show you now’”.
Similarly, the Organized Crime and Corruption Reporting Project (OCCRP) in a report said: “Mahinur Ahmed Khan told authorities he stepped out of his house in the evening to get some groceries when someone tapped on his back. When he turned around, four men started beating him with iron bars as they filmed the attack with a mobile phone. “Your brother writes against the prime minister, against the government? He’s a journalist? Now you’ll see,” he said they shouted while beating him until he was no longer able to move”.
Earlier in a report, Blitz has provided detailed information about criminal past of Zulkarnain Saer and his dubious activities.
Question here is – as Mahinur Khan told Manabzamin that those attackers did not say anything while beating him, why he has given a different statement to Al Jazeera, OCCRP and others? Or did he at all give any statement to those international media?
