Photo: Collected
Somoy TV reporter Twoha Khan Tamim and cameraman Prince Arefin came under attack while covering the anti-quota protests in Shahbagh on Thursday (11 July) evening, the media outlet reported. Arefin’s video camera was damaged in the process, it says.
The incident occurred around 5:45 pm and was captured on video obtained by Somoy TV. The footage shows protesters suddenly turning on the journalists. A youth, identified by his black jersey with the name “Abir” and a headband featuring the Bangladeshi flag, repeatedly struck Tamim.
At one point, the youth grabbed a helmet from another individual and advanced towards Tamim to strike him further.
From 4:00 pm, a significant police presence was observed in various locations around Shahbagh. Shortly before 5:00 pm, students began marching from Dhaka University towards Shahbagh with various slogans, but were initially stopped by a police barricade, leading to a brief scuffle.
Eventually, the protesters broke through the barricade and occupied the area under the Shahbagh intersection and metro station, forcing the police to retreat. Some students climbed onto police vehicles in celebration, chanting slogans.
The protests led to a complete shutdown of traffic from Shahbagh to Elephant Road, Bangla Motor, Matsya Bhaban, and TSC.
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