•           Arrest of Rozina bodes ominous cue for journalism.

•           Health officials scared about their flagrant corruption.

•           Austere programs if Rozina not released immediately.

Abdul Khaleque Khandker: Human chains and protest rallies were held yesterday at different places of the country demanding immediate release of veteran journalist of Prothom Alo, Rozina Islam.

A big protest rally was brought out in front of Jatiyo Press club organized by journalist leaders demanding immediate release of Rozina Islam who was harassed and arrested while she was covering news of health sector at the secretariat.

A human chain and protest rally were held in front of Mohakhali DNCC kitchen market arranged by Banani Press Club yesterday.

Mr. Bijoy Chowdhury, president and Sk. Russel, secretary among others spoke on the occasion.

The speakers vehemently protested against the allegation that was brought against Prothom Alo senior journalist Rozina Islam.

The speakers demanded immediate release of Rozina Islam and, at the same time, they urged the government to look into the matter as to who are responsible for harassing and arresting the on-duty journalist Rozina Islam.

On this event, cross-section people of the country expressed opinions that Rozina Islam is not that amateur reporter who is ignorant of the basic ethics of reporting, rather she has been in her professional jobs for a long time with utmost sincerity and serving reports with unerring accuracy.

Rozina Islam is a seasoned journalist and well acquainted with the basic ethics of journalism. Some conscious people also think, it is not that Rozina Islam has violated the rules and regulation of reporting news, because she has not trespassed into any unauthorized area to sneak and divulge utmost secrecy of the country to the enemies.  She, with other journalists, had had access to the secretariat to cover news. If she violated any law of the health department, she could be dealt with in other proper ways, but why was she made captive hours after hours and was made subject to humiliation and torture?

The speakers expounded that the officials of the health department have made the flagrant violation of the laws which they had exercised against Rozina Islam.

 If injustice inflicted upon Rozina Islam goes unchallenged, the journalists of the country will baulk at collecting and serving material news for the service of the nation and the countrymen.

People present there said, journalists are the conscience of the nation. They collect information even if defying many odds and obstacles for the interest of people and the country as well. During this Covid-19 Pandemic, journalists are also venturing to procure information to the entire world about death clutch of the disease.

One Abdus Samad, an onlooker of the human chain, told this reporter, “It is through the journalist community, we came to learn about the indiscriminate corruption of the health officers. They purchased one pillow for the hospital patient bed for 80 thousand takas, and one window curtain for 2.5 lakh takas. The journalists had exposed this news to public, so the health officers are afraid of the journalists”.

At last the speakers of different rallies pronounced austere programmes  if the dedicated journalist Rozina Islam is not released without any condition and without any further delay.