Journalist assaulted while documenting clashes between students and transport workers in Rajbari

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A local journalist was hospitalized on Saturday evening following an assault in the Maishala bus stand area of Pangsha, Rajbari, after he attempted to document a violent confrontation between students and autorickshaw drivers.

The victim, Akash Mahmud, 25, a multimedia reporter for the Daily Kaler Kantho and a district correspondent for the online portal NPB, was attacked while recording a clash that erupted earlier that day. According to Mahmud, tensions had been simmering since Thursday, when an autorickshaw driver allegedly behaved poorly toward a passenger. On Saturday afternoon, student representatives went to the Maishala bus stand to confront local drivers over the incident, which devolved into a physical altercation.

Mahmud reported that as he began recording the chaos on his mobile phone, he was targeted by a group of drivers. He stated that the assailants forced him to delete the footage before launching a second attack, forcing him to flee to escape further injury.

The incident resulted in several other injuries, including a college student identified as Sagar Shikdar. Both Mahmud and Shikdar were admitted to the Pangsha Upazila Health Complex, while others involved received primary medical treatment.

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Pangsha Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Sheikh Moinul Islam confirmed that the violence stemmed from a dispute over passenger fares that began on Thursday. He noted that students had attempted to halt autorickshaw operations at the bus stand on Saturday in response to the earlier mistreatment of a passenger, leading to the broader clash.

Authorities have detained one autorickshaw driver in connection with the initial dispute involving the passenger. Police officials stated that while the situation remains under investigation, no formal complaint has been filed regarding the attack on the journalist. Officials have pledged to take necessary legal action once a formal grievance is submitted.