Staff Correspondent:

Journalists and media professionals across Bangladesh staged coordinated demonstrations on Saturday, forming human chains in multiple districts to protest the brutal killing of Gazipur journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin and to demand justice, safety, and professional protection for reporters.

Tuhin, 32, the Gazipur correspondent of Daily Protidiner Kagoj, was hacked to death with a sharp weapon in the city’s Chandna Chawrasta area on Thursday night.

His killing has sparked widespread outrage, prompting press clubs and journalist associations in districts including Munshiganj, Narail, Madaripur, and Naogaon to organise protests.

Gazipur Police and the Rapid Action Battalion have so far arrested seven individuals in separate operations in connection with the murder.

IN MUNSHIGANJ, members of the Bikrampur Television Journalists Association and Shreenagar Press Club formed a human chain at Shreenagar’s Dakbungalow intersection at 11:30am.

Speakers, including Mahbub, general secretary of the television association, condemned the killing and called for the immediate arrest and exemplary punishment of all those involved.

They also urged the government to take urgent measures to protect journalists from violence and intimidation.

IN NARAIL: Media professionals held a human chain and rally in front of the Press Club at 11am. Leaders, including Press Club President SM Abdul Haque and senior journalists Saiful Islam Tuhin and Malloy Nandi, stressed that such killings are unacceptable in a democratic society.

They warned of intensified protests if justice is delayed, urging the government to act decisively.

MADARIPUR: Journalists from Kalakini and Dasar upazilas joined in a protest in front of Syed Abul Hossain University College, denouncing the murder as a threat not just to journalists but to public freedom and national security.

Protesters demanded that those responsible be brought to justice without delay and called for stronger protections for members of the press.

NAOGAON: A human chain was formed in Naogaon at Mukti Mor near the Central Shaheed Minar under the banner of the Journalists’ Rights Protection Committee.

Speakers, including Naogaon Press Club President Raihan Alam and General Secretary Belayet Hossain, called the murder a direct assault on press freedom.

They demanded swift prosecution of the accused and urged the government to enact specific laws to protect journalists and their professional rights.

MAGURA: Journalists, along with members of social and cultural organisations, formed a human chain in Magura on Saturday afternoon demanding justice for slain Gazipur journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin and protesting ongoing violence and repression against media professionals across the country.

The demonstration took place at 12:30pm in front of Magura Government Hossain Shaheed Suhrawardy College. Following the human chain, a mourning procession paraded through the city streets, drawing attention from bystanders and amplifying the protesters’ message.

Senior journalist Abu Basar Akhand, Reporters Unit President HN Kamrul Islam, Obaidur Rahman, M Ferdous Reza, and Abdul Aziz were among those who addressed the crowd. In their speeches, they condemned the widespread torture, intimidation, false cases, and murders targeting journalists in recent years.

Speakers expressed deep concern over the declining state of freedom of expression in the country. They lamented that the hopes of establishing a free, impartial, and democratic society following the mass uprising have yet to be realized. They emphasized that safeguarding press freedom, ensuring journalist safety, and dismantling the culture of mob violence and threats are essential to upholding democracy.

The speakers also urged the interim government to provide support to the family of journalist Asaduzzaman Tuhin, who was hacked to death in Gazipur’s Chandna Chourasta area on Thursday night. They demanded the swift and exemplary punishment of those responsible for his killing and called for meaningful reforms to protect journalists nationwide.

Meanwhile, the district-level protests reflect a growing national demand for justice and journalist safety. Speakers across the country emphasized that the murder of Asaduzzaman Tuhin was not just an isolated incident, but part of a disturbing trend of violence and intimidation against media workers.

With arrests already made, journalist groups are now demanding speedy prosecution and systemic reforms to ensure that those who speak truth to power are not silenced by violence.