Dhaka: BNP standing committee member ASM Hannan Shah on Tuesday alleged that the government is now trying to control the media with a coercive policy.

‘Once newspapers used to be shutdown by making law, but now the government is trying to control the media and journalists with threat, harassment and repressive acts as being done against our leaders and activists,’ he said.

Addressing a discussion, the BNP leader called upon the journalists and the media to be vocal against the government’s pressure on them and depict its misdeeds. ‘Be courageous and publish facts.’

Bangladesh Democratic Council arranged the discussion at the Dhaka Reporters’ Unity, marking the ‘Newspapers Black Day’.

‘16 June is the Newspapers Black Day, but no newspaper published any report on it. It’s a matter of regret that I went through 7-8 newspapers and didn’t find any article on the day in those newspapers. We’d earlier seen newspapers were used to publish at least a report with black border on the first page. This practice is missing this time,’ Hannan Shah observed.

He also deplored that no journalist is also seen this time to wear black badge to commemorate the day.

Describing the media as the mirror of a country, the BNP leader said journalists create public opinion with their objective reports against unjust, misdeeds and irregularities. ‘But, the government is gagging the media depriving us of knowing facts.’

Hannan Shah said the freedom of the press had been snatched by establishing Baksal in 1975. ‘Under the Baksal rule, all but four pro-Awami League newspapers were closed down on 16 June… It’s Ziaur Rahman who restored the press freedom and introduced multi-party democracy by cancelling the black laws of the Baksal regime.’

He came down hard on Information Minister Hasanul Haq Inu saying he has snatched the press freedom. ‘He’s now trying to create yellow journalists.’

The BNP leader urged people to get united for the restoration of democracy and ensure press freedom.