Journalists Targeted Amid Rising Mob Brutality

Bangladeshi TV reporter Rifaat Alam Risan recounted a harrowing encounter with a hostile crowd in Dhaka. While covering the shooting of hard‑line Islamist leader Sharif Usman bin Hadi in December 2025, Risan entered Dhaka Medical College Hospital to collect footage. The assembled mob turned on him, beating him and forcibly removing him from the premises.

Risan explained that rumors alleging his involvement in the shooting ignited the violence, leading to a spontaneous assault without any investigative verification. He was beaten, stripped of his phone, and left unconscious on the street until fellow journalists intervened.

Another reporter, Jamal Ruhani, warned that such attacks often begin with a single individual singled out, after which a larger group joins in without confirming guilt. He criticized the police for appearing unprepared after the August 5 incident, stating that morale and readiness have deteriorated.