Dhaka: A prominent Bangladeshi journalist Munni Saha was surrounded by a angry mob and briefly held hostage in the capital city’s Karwan Bazar area and was acused of being an ‘Indian agent’ on Saturday.
The incident unfolded as Saha who a well-known TV journalist was leaving a media office when she was accused of being an Indian agent and a supporter of ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina .
The group of protesters intercepted Saha’s vehicle and began abusive accusations at her.
The mob’s hostility was linked to the ongoing political unrest following the removal of Hasina’s government from power in August, during which she was oustered after a popular uprising following a massive students protest.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police swiftly intervened and resuced her from the mob and took her to Tejgaon Police Station. There, she was reportedly held for some time before being transferred to the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) office. This led to widespread speculation that she had been arrested.
However, the police clarified early Sunday morning that Saha was not formally detained. They explained that she had been taken to the DB office for her safety due to the crowd’s aggressive behavior.
A police official confirmed to a local Bangladeshi newspaper that Saha had suffered a panic attack during the ordeal but was later released after receiving medical attention.
“Police did not detain Munni Saha. She was surrounded by a group of people at Kawran Bazar outside her office. Later, Tejgaon police took her to the DB office for security reasons,” the official stated.
The incident is one such example of growing challenges faced by journalists in Bangladesh particularly in the wake of Hasina’s fall from power. The caretaker government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, has canceled the accreditation of numerous journalists and launched legal actions against many media professionals.
Protests against media houses including major outlets like Prothom Alo and Daily Star have intensified. These kind of incidents intends mounting tensions in the country’s press freedom landscape.
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