Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIM) on Monday strongly condemned the attack on journalists and students at Rajshahi University a day earlier by leaders and activists of the university unit of Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal (JCD).

The platform for Bangladeshi and Bangladeshi-origin journalists working in international media urged the Rajshahi University administration and law enforcement agencies to ensure a prompt and impartial investigation and to identify those responsible using video footage, witness testimony and other available evidence.

It also called for appropriate criminal and disciplinary action against those found responsible.

“No journalist, on any campus or anywhere in Bangladesh, should ever face violence, intimidation or retaliation for doing their job. Press freedom cannot depend on who holds power, who commands the streets, or whose actions a journalist is documenting,” BJIM said in a statement sent to the media.

Earlier on Sunday night, leaders and activists of the RU unit of Chhatra Dal attacked journalists and students with locally made weapons, leaving at least 10 people injured, including four journalists who sustained serious injuries.

The injured journalists were Jahidul Islam, correspondent of Agamir Shomoy; Nur Ahsan Mridul, correspondent of The Daily Star; Arifuzzaman Qurban, university correspondent of bdnews24.com; and Mainul Islam Raju, correspondent of Samakal.

BJIM said the incident was not simply a campus clash, as journalists were attacked while doing their jobs—observing, recording and documenting events in the public interest.

“An attack on reporters for documenting violence is an attack on press freedom and the public’s right to know,” the statement said.

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