Journalist Mushfiqul Fazal Ansari was moved to tears while portraying the hospital treatment of the victims of the anti-discrimination movement. He said, today the environment here is very painful. Very difficult moment when the child’s body is on the father’s shoulders. They gave their lives for the restoration of democracy. This small gift is nothing for their family.
He said this in the speech of the chief negotiator at a discussion meeting at the National Press Club on Sunday.
On the occasion of commemorating the journalists killed in the anti-discrimination movement and providing financial support to their families, the US-based organization ‘Love Share BD-US’ organized a discussion on the topic ‘Role of the Journalist Society in the Fall of the Dictatorship Hasina Government and Current Actions’.
The National Press Club and journalists’ professional rights organization cooperate with ‘Journalists for Justice’. As financial support, the families of senior reporter Hasan Mehedi of Dhaka Times, freelance journalist Tahir Zaman Priya, journalist Shakil Hossain of daily Bhorer Awaz newspaper based in Gazipur, Sylhet correspondent of daily Naya Digant newspaper Abu Taher Md. Turab and Raiganj correspondent of daily Khabarpatra Pradip Kumar Bhomik have been given one lakh taka. is given Hasan Hafiz, president of the National Press Club, presided over the meeting.
Ansari burst into tears after showing the picture of the hospital treatment. He said, you may be sitting here talking a lot, trying to fulfill the latent desires of many people. I went to the hospital yesterday. Tears can’t be held back. Many students are missing hands, legs, limbs and crippled. Two legs missing, had to be amputated, lying on top. He turned around and said with a smile, ‘Brother we are merited’. What love and country, what love for their country.
“The government must take responsibility for the families of every martyr and injured, if necessary, those who are suffering in the hospital must be treated abroad by the government, the family of those who gave blood for the country will buy medical drugs with money, this will not be accepted.”
The father of deceased Gazipur-based Daily Bhorer Awaz journalist Shakil Hossain said, “I did not want to give my son’s body, but I did not want to give time for the funeral.” Later, the administration was forced to give time due to public pressure.
The father of the slain Dhaka Times journalist Hasan Mehdi recalled his son’s memory and said, “Like you, my son was also a journalist.” My son was shot dead by the police. I asked the Jatrabari police station to arrest the case of murder and filed a case in the court from there, but the police did not arrest anyone.
M Abdullah, former president of BFUJ and Managing Director of Journalist Welfare Trust, said that in such a short period of time, so many lives were given in the anti-discrimination movement, which is rare in the history of the world. During the dictatorship, 25-30 journalists were tortured and harassed every month.
Journalist leader and poet Abdul Hai Shikder said, everything is for everyone, but no one does anything for journalists. The government looked at journalists differently. How many journalists have been killed and murdered, what the government has done with the Sagar-Rooney murder case is an example. After independence, Awami League and its kin were flourishing under Mujib’s fascism. How many insults and deprivations this nation fell into, even though they were full of food, about 15,000 people died without eating. But no government has talked about that Mujib’s tenure.
Commenting that the ghosts of fascism are roaming everywhere, he said that the internal government should be tough and suppress the conspirators of every revolution with a strong hand.
Shahidul Islam, president of Dhaka Journalist Union DUZ, said that dictatorship has fallen in a continuous movement of one month and five days. Five of our journalists were martyred along with hundreds of martyrs along with Abu Saeed and Mochad in this movement. The journalists did not go to protest, they went only to collect news of the protest. They were also killed in police firing. What else can I do for the families of these martyred journalists? But we have nothing to console. But I am making a demand, the road and memorial plaque should be erected in the name of every martyr in the area where they were martyred. As a symbol of tyranny, so that future generations may know how a tyranny was sustained by force. And let no one try to be a dictator.
Former President of Press Club Kamal Uddin Sabuj, General of Press Club Ayyub Bhuiyan, Former General Secretary of Press Club Ilyas Khan, General Secretary of DUZ Khurshid Alam, Former President of DRU Morsalin Nomani, Vice President of DUZ Mohammad Bachir Jamal and others also spoke in the discussion meeting.