Dhaka: A defamation suit was filed against 15 journalists of the private satellite channel NTV, including the Chief News Editor, the producer and the reporter, for a broadcast in the crime-based programme ‘Crime Watch’.

Golam Ali Emam Bhuiyan, a resident of Gobindapur of Shonir-Akhra in Jatrabari area, filed the case with Dhaka CMM court.

Metropolitan judge AKM Emdadul Haque will give the next order after recording the plaintiff’s statement.

The accused are CNE Khairul Anwar, producer and reporter of ‘Crime Watch’ Parvez Khan, cameramen Rony Raihan and Asaduzzaman Topon, OC of Jatrabari police station Moniruzzaman, Hakim Balti, Abdul Mannan Sarker, Abdus Salam, Bashir, Nurul Islam, Habibur Rahman(1), Nazrul Islam, Habibur Rahman(2), Ayesha Siddiqa and Rowshan Master.

According to case statement, the NTV programme Crime Watch broadcast a report that “maligned” Golam Ali Emam Bhuiyan socially as it treated him as a ‘land grabber’ and ‘terrorist’.

The TV channel backed the accused Hakim Balti and his associates who earlier tried to occupy the plaintiff’s land several times, says the statement.

BDST: 1800 Hrs, May 16,2010
MHQ/SA/SMS/MUA