BANGLADESH

A nephew of the junior home minister has allegedly beaten up a journalist for reporting 'nepotism' in awarding Food for Work Programme tender.

Abdullah Al Mamun, the local correspondent of Bengali daily Kaler Kantho, was admitted to the Pabna Medical College Hospital after the alleged beating on Monday morning.

State Minister for Home Shamsul Hoque Tuku, however, said that the incident involving his nephew Aminul Islam was result of a personal dispute.

Mamun's elder brother Al Mahmud Sarker is the Science and Technology Secretary of ruling Awami League's Pabna district unit.

"Police have been ordered to arrest the attackers," Tuku said.

Bera Police Station Officer in Charge Abdul Hye said a case was filed against six people, including Aminul. "We are trying to arrest the accused."

Mamun's brother told that Aminul, son of Badiul Alam, and his followers had been threatening his brother since the Bengali daily published a report titled 'Relatives of MP Tuku get T-R, Food for Work tenders' on Friday.

He said Aminul led 12-13 'miscreants', including Nazrul, Firoz, Halim, Zakir and Sagar, to beat his brother Mamun.

Witnesses said Aminul and his associates brought Mamun to a place in front of a temple when he was about to leave a restaurant at Bera upazila around 9:30am.

"Miscreants led by Aminul beat me up with rod. They hit my back, hand and shoulder," Mamun told

Hospital's orthopedic surgery unit chief Dr Reazul Haque said no bone of Mamun had broken but he would need rest.

Local journalists held a rally at Pabna Press Club to protest the alleged attack.