Bagerhat, Sept 23 (V7N) – A case has been filed in Morelganj following the alleged assault of three journalists at the Upazila Health Complex while they were on duty to collect news. The case was lodged late Monday night by Ganesh Pal, General Secretary of the Morelganj Press Club, naming four individuals including hospital accounts officer and chief assistant-in-charge Rezowan Matubbar as accused. The case was registered as No. 16 dated September 23, 2025.

According to police and press club sources, the incident stemmed from multiple reports recently published against Rezowan Matubbar, accusing him of corruption and irregularities. On September 16, Ganesh Pal, also a correspondent for Dainik Janakantha, Dainik Sangbad, and Dainik Gramer Kagoj, along with Shamim Ahsan Mallik of Dainik Bhorer Darpan and M. Palash Sharif of Somoy Journal and Dainik Purboanchal, went to the hospital to seek Matubbar’s comments on a complaint filed against him by local resident Umme Salma Begum.

During their visit, Matubbar, accompanied by his wife Kohinur Begum, daughter Morium Akter Munmun, son-in-law Afzal Chakladar, and several others, allegedly confined the journalists inside the hospital premises, verbally abused them, and snatched their mobile phones and money. Witnesses said the assault was carried out in a planned manner within the office of Health and Family Planning Officer Dr. Muzahidul Islam, who was present at the time.

Matubbar, who originally joined the hospital as an office assistant, was later promoted to chief assistant-cum-accounts officer. Reports of his alleged corruption and irregularities have repeatedly surfaced in local and national media. Following the attack, a counter-case was also filed by his daughter Munmun, a hospital staff member, accusing the journalists of harassment, which press bodies have condemned as false and retaliatory. That case was recorded as No. 15 dated September 21, 2025.

The incident has sparked widespread protests among journalists across Bagerhat and neighboring districts. Press clubs in Bagerhat, Morelganj, and Sharankhola strongly condemned the attack, demanding immediate withdrawal of the “false case” and exemplary punishment for those responsible for the assault on journalists.

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