A journalist in Savar, on the outskirts of the capital, was attacked on Sunday as he went to a factory to cover a report on factory vandalism over its ownership conflict.
The injured journalist Aklakur Rahman Akash, Savar correspondent of The Daily Star, was admitted to Enam Medical College and Hospital with injuries to the face, eyes, head and other parts of the body.
Witnesses said that Akash was severely beaten by local activists of the ruling Awami League while he was taking a picture of vandalism at a ceramic factory in Savar.
Akash鈥檚 colleague Noman Mahmud said that Akash went to Bhagalpur after hearing reports about vandalism at Bengal Fine Ceramics Limited.
Avijit Roy, who was running the company, said that there was an ownership dispute between them and the founder of the company Rashek Maksud Khan family.
Last month Rashek died and some new faces claimed ownership of the factory. A case was under trial over the issue.
On Sunday, however, a group of people illegally entered the factory and vandalised cameras, computers, machines and furniture.
Tanbirul Islam, deputy general manager of Sea Pearl Hospitality Group, the company now claiming the ownership and has taken over the factory, could not be reached for his comment over the phone despite repeated attempts.
Savar model police station officer-in-charge Shah Zaman said that they did not know anything about the actual owners of the factory.
On information about the attack and vandalism, the police went to the spot but did not see anything wrong, the officer said.
He said that the police would investigate the incident if anybody complained to police.
Witnesses, however, said that unruly people entered the factory in the presence of the police and carried out vandalism in the presence of police.