Jagannath University journalists ‘removed’ from meeting after being invited

Campus journalists at Jagannath University were allegedly removed from an emergency meeting held at the vice-chancellor’s conference room on Saturday over the August 4 clash between Bangladesh Jatiotabadi Chhatra Dal and other student organisations.

The university’s Public Relations Office had earlier invited journalists through an official letterhead to cover the meeting and take photographs. However, when journalists arrived at the scheduled time, they were allegedly asked to leave.

The meeting was held around 3:30pm on Saturday. The invitation said the meeting would discuss the “untoward incident” outside the university’s central auditorium on August 4 and would be attended by university officials, the local MP, prominent figures from Old Dhaka and senior law enforcement officials.

The invitation requested media outlets to send one reporter and one cameraperson to cover and publicise the meeting.

Journalists said they were later told by the university administration that the meeting was a “closed-door meeting” and therefore they could not attend.

Rakibul Islam Rakib, a member of the Jagannath University Journalists Association and the university correspondent of The Daily Star, said journalists were formally invited but were removed after arriving at the conference room.

Mohammad Rokunuzzaman Golam Rabbi, office, publicity and publication secretary of the Jagannath University Press Club, also criticised the decision, saying barring journalists after formally inviting them was disrespectful to the media.

Professor Dr Anwarus Salam, director of the university’s Public Relations Office, said journalists were not allowed to attend because it was a closed-door meeting. He could not give a clear explanation when asked why journalists had been invited to cover the meeting.

The meeting was held following the August 4 clash between Chhatra Dal activists and leaders of the Jagannath University Central Students’ Union, Chhatra Shibir, Chhatra Shakti, Chhatra Front and Inquilab Mancha. Around 70 people, including the Jaksu general secretary and the president and general secretary of Chhatra Shakti, were injured in the clash.

SKS