Journalists hold a rally in front of the National Press Club on Tuesday, demanding the arrest of the murderers of journalist couple Sagar and Runi and security for the journalist community. — New Age photo

Journalists at a protest rally on Tuesday asked ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman to withdraw his case against 59 journalist leaders within 24-hours and warned they would continue their agitation to press for arrest of the killers of journalist couple Sagar Sarowar and Meherun Runi. 
Mahfuz had filed the case to muffle the journalists’ protests planned for September 16 in front of the channel’s office to press home their demands.
The united platform of the journalists’ organisations, factions of Dhaka Union of Journalists and Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, National Press Club and Dhaka Reporters Unity organised the protest rally in front of the National Press Club to press for their demand of ensuring trade union rights in the media houses and to stop repressions on the journalists.
Iqbal Sobhan Chowdhury, president of a BFUJ faction who chaired the rally, said that ATN Bangla chairman Mahfuzur Rahman had taken stand against the journalist community by filing a petition to stop programmes of the journalists.
He also condemned the role of lawyer Rafiqul Haque who filed the petition in favour of Mahfuzur Rahman and also took stand against the journalist community.
Another BFUJ faction president Ruhul Amin Gazi termed Mahfuzur Rahman as an enemy of the journalist community and called on the government to arrest him immediately on charge of his involvement in Sagar-Runi killings.
The united platform of the journalists would announce a tough movement programme if the killers of Sagar-Runi were not arrested by September 24.
Referring to the role of lawyer Rafiqul Haque, Ruhul Amin said that he must not take any stand against the journalists.
A BFUJ faction secretary general Abdul Jalil Bhuiyan called on the media house owners to ensure trade union rights of the journalists and stop repressions of them.
The former BFUJ faction leader Manjurul Ahsan Bulbul said it was unfortunate that the killers of Sagar-Runi were not identified in seven months.
He called on Mahfuzur Rahman to withdraw his case filed against the journalists within 24 hours.
The chief news editor of the Maasranga Television Rezanul Haque Raza, the BFUJ leader M Abdullah,  and DUJ faction presidents Omar Faroque, Abdus Shahid, general secretaries Shaban Mahmud and Mohammad Baker Hossain, National Press Club acting general secretary Nurul Hasan Khan, DRU president Shakhawat Hossain Badsha and  general secretary Sazzad Alam Khan Tapu spoke at the rally.