Court Grants 2-Day Remand for Prime Accused in Chakaria Journalist Attack

A Cox’s Bazar court on Wednesday granted a two-day police remand for Nazim Uddin the prime accused in the brutal attack and attempted murder of three journalists in Chakaria upazila.

Judge Muhammad Farhan Sadiq of the Chakaria Senior Judicial Magistrate Court issued the order following a five-day remand petition filed by the case's investigating officer, Sub-Inspector Farid Hossain. Nazim alleged illegal sand extractor was brought from Cox's Bazar District Jail for the hearing and confirmed plaintiff’s lawyer Advocate Mizbah Uddin.

The case stems from a violent incident on February 22. Three local correspondents Chhotan Kanti Nath, M Ziabul Haque and AKM Iqbal Faruk were attacked while filming the environmental destruction caused by illegal sand extraction at the Ichachhari canal in North Harbang.

According to the case details, Nazim and his accomplices surrounded the journalists and beat them indiscriminately. Chhotan sustained a severe head injury, Iqbal suffered a severe cut to his hand and Ziabul's right arm was broken. Ziabul remains in critical condition and is being transferred to Dhaka’s Pangu Hospital for a secondary operation.

Following the assault, journalist Iqbal Faruk filed a case on February 25 naming 11 individuals with Nazim listed as the primary accused alongside 10 to 12 unidentified attackers.

Nazim had initially secured a six-week bail from the High Court. However on June 30, the Cox's Bazar Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate Court denied his permanent bail application and sent him to jail also granting bail to two co-accused pending the charge sheet.