TV channel staffer beaten to death in Dhaka 

A staffer of a private television channel was beaten to death allegedly by workers of a developer company in the Mohanagar Project area of the capital's Hatirjheel today.

The deceased was identified as Tanjil Jahan Islam Tamim, 32, a broadcast officer at Deepto TV.

According to Tamim's family, a dispute erupted between them and real estate developer Pleasant Properties, over the allotment of flats in the company's newly constructed building.

Hatirjheel Police Station Officer-in-Charge Saiful Islam said, "Individuals associated with Pleasant Properties were involved in the attack. We have apprehended three people, including their site engineer."

He said legal action would be initiated against Pleasant Properties. 

Allegations and counter allegations

Tamim's family alleged that the killing took place after a disagreement arose over the distribution of flats in the nine-storey building, which was built on land owned by three individuals.

The nine-storey building, comprising 27 flats, has been constructed on lands owned by three owners, one of whom is Sultan, they said.

According to Sultan, each landowner was entitled to four and a half flats, but Pleasant Properties had been delaying the transfer of his share despite handing over the flats of the two other owners.

The situation escalated when Pleasant Properties' employees began construction work on a flat occupied by the developer company. Sultan and Tamim intervened to stop the work, leading to a violent confrontation, the family members said. 

Tamim was severely injured in the attack and subsequently succumbed to his injuries.

"Department of Narcotics Control Deputy Director Mohammad Mamun is also involved in occupying the flat. They forcefully occupied the flats by holding the flats and land owners hostage with the hooligans," alleged Sultan.

Besides, former additional commissioner of DMP's Detective Branch Harun Or Rashid's father-in-law Solaiman, who also worked at the narcotics control department, helped Mamun in grabbing the flats, he also alleged.

"But the developers had already handed over the flats of the other two landowners in June 2022."

Sultan also claimed that the police did not help them when they went to file a General Diary over the issue. 

 However, Hatirjheel Police Station OC Saiful denied the allegations.

When asked about the allegation of launching the attack by sending his men, Sheikh Rabiul Alam Robi, managing director of Pleasant Properties, said, "I did not send anyone there. I had sent an engineer to instruct them to stop the work. There was no attack at the location."

Department of Narcotic Control's Mamun also denied the allegations brought against him. 

"I am being pressured on purpose. I am not associated with the owner or developer company of this building. My father-in-law bought a flat in the building. I live in my father-in-law's house. I was not at home at the time of the incident. I don't know what happened. You can verify this by watching the CCTV footage of the incident," he said.

In fact, he alleged that Sultan vandalised his house with a group of men. 

"They entered my house after breaking down the door. They also broke the furniture of the house. They even broke the CCTV camera."