Bangladesh Female Journalist Munni Saha Heckled By Mob, Accused of Spreading 'Indian Agenda' | WATCH

A mob surrounded senior Bangladeshi journalist Munni Saha in Dhaka last night, accusing her of spreading misinformation and "doing everything to make Bangladesh a part of India."

As the mob heckled her, Saha repeatedly said, "This is also my country." Eventually, the police arrived and took her into custody.

Photo Credit: https://www.facebook.com/munnisahafanclub/

According to reports in Bangladeshi media, Saha was wanted in connection with a case regarding the death of a student during anti-reservation protests in the neighbouring country, which led to the ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Police rescued her from the Kawran Bazar area of Dhaka, where she had been surrounded by the mob.

Rezaul Karim Mallik, a senior officer of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, told The Daily Star newspaper, "People handed her over to the police. She suffered a panic attack. We have released her after considering her health condition and the fact that she is a woman journalist."

কারওয়ানবাজার থেকে সাংবাদিক মুন্নী সাহা গ্রেপ্তার |
Munni Saha Arrest | Channel 24 pic.twitter.com/xq7x0HHkzd

— Md. Sohel Rana (@mdsohelrana7707) December 1, 2024

Saha has been advised to seek bail from the court and comply with future police summons.

In a video that has since gone viral, Saha is seen surrounded by the mob. A voice accuses her of misguiding people about the 2009 Bangladesh Rifles mutiny, which claimed 57 lives. "You are doing everything you can to make this country a part of India. The blood of students is on your hands," the journalist is told, to which she denies.

"How can you be a citizen of this country and harm it?" she is asked. Saha responds, "How have I harmed? This is also my country."

The 55-year-old journalist is the former news head of the Bengali channel ATN News. After the fall of Sheikh Hasina's administration, she and several other journalists were charged with crimes against humanity.

The heckling incident comes amid rising concerns over the treatment of minority Hindus in Bangladesh after the regime change. Last week, a Hindu priest, Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari, was arrested in Dhaka after a protest by the Hindu community, which demanded legal protection and a ministry for minority affairs. The priest, formerly associated with ISKCON, faces charges of sedition for his remarks about the targeting of Hindus.

ISKCON has since reported the arrest of two more monks, Adipurush Shyam Das and Ranganath Das Brahmachari, after they met with Chinmoy Krishna Das. The vice-president of ISKCON Kolkata also stated that rioters had vandalised the ISKCON centre in Bangladesh.

Following the ousting of Hasina, an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, founder of Grameen Bank, has taken charge. Over recent months, multiple reports have emerged of attacks targeting minority Hindus in Bangladesh.

In response to the arrest of the priest, India expressed concern about the rise in "extremist rhetoric, increasing incidents of violence and provocation" in Bangladesh. The Ministry of External Affairs stated that India has consistently raised the issue of attacks on Hindus and other minorities with the Bangladeshi government. MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal urged the interim government to take steps to protect minorities.