Kushtia, Correspondent: The Kushtia Press Club has strongly condemned the brutal attack on journalist and Facebook content creator Rafiqullah Kalbi, declaring that no mercy will be shown to those responsible. In an emergency executive council meeting held on Wednesday night, the club leaders vowed to take strict action against all individuals involved and urged the local administration to conduct a fair and impartial investigation into the incident. The attack took place on Monday night within the premises of the Kushtia Press Club, allegedly involving three of its own members—Munshi Shahin Ahmed Jewel (40), acting editor of the Daily Khabarwala, Amin Hasan (30), Kushtia correspondent of the Daily Tribunal, and Samiul Azim Soni Azim (40), Kushtia correspondent of Jay Jay Din and Global TV. All three have had their club memberships suspended pending investigation, and a three-member committee has been formed with a 10-day show cause notice issued to the accused. The meeting was chaired by club president Al-Mamun Sagar and attended by General Secretary AM Zubayed Ripon, among others, who assured full cooperation with law enforcement to ensure justice. According to the case filed by Kalbi’s wife, Saraban Tohura, the attack stemmed from a Facebook comment made by Kalbi on a post about the dismissal of a local Awami League affiliate. On October 6, Kalbi was lured to Courtpara in Kushtia, where he was allegedly ambushed, beaten, and forcibly taken to the Kushtia Press Club, where he was further assaulted. He suffered severe injuries, was initially treated at the 250-bed Kushtia Sadar Hospital, and later referred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital due to his critical condition and need for surgery. The case names four accused, including Shariful Islam Sharif (35) of the Daily Satyakhabar, and lists 10 to 15 unidentified others. Kushtia Model Police Station OC Mosharraf Hossain confirmed that a case has been registered and investigations are underway. The victim’s family has demanded exemplary punishment for those responsible for the attempted murder.
