Journalists Killed in 2012 - Motive Confirmed: Jamal Uddin

Gramer Kagoj
June 15, 2012, in Kashipur, Bangladesh

An unidentified group of men armed with sharp weapons, including machetes, attacked Uddin at a tea stall in Kashipur village in the district of Jessore on the border with India, according to news reports. The assailants slashed his arms, legs, and eyes, leaving him with multiple severe injuries, news reports said. Uddin died at a local hospital later that night, the reports said.

Uddin, a reporter for the Bengali-language daily Gramer Kagoj, had been threatened in the past in relation to his reporting on the local criminal drug trade, police told local journalists.

In July, police arrested Raju Mollik, who told a Jessore court that he was among the group of men who had called Uddin to meet at the tea stall, according to the local news website bdnews24. Mollik also said he had helped the assailants drug the journalist and attack him when he passed out, the report said. The suspect said the attack was in reprisal for his reporting, bdnews24 reported.

Mollik and at least two other suspects were in custody in late 2012 pending further legal proceedings, according to local news reports.