‘Bangladesh Godi media kingpin’ among 4 held while trying to enter India illegally

Bangladesh journalists Mozammel Babu, Shyamal Dutta and Mahbubur Rahman were reportedly detained along with a driver while they were trying to enter India illegally through Dhobaura border in Mymensingh on Monday.

Babu is the managing director and editor-in-chief of Ekattor TV, Shyamal is the former general secretary of Jatiya Press Club, and Mahbubur Rahman is senior reporter with Ekattor TV. They were in a car with their driver Selim when they were stopped by locals near the Dhobaura-Purbadhala border area on Monday morning, the Dhobaura police station in-charge told The Daily Star. These locals then informed the police, the officer said.

All four are in police custody, he said. 

Newslaundry had earlier reported how several journalists described Mozammel Babu as the kingpin of Bangladesh’s ‘Godi’ journalists (a quintessentially Indian term used for media representatives who are seen as excessively loyal to those in power). A close aide of Hasina, Babu was known for supplying information on other journalists to Hasina. He also headed the Editors Guild of Bangladesh. 

Amid the protests in Bangladesh in August, Babu was among 26 journalists who were named in a case filed at the International Crimes Tribunal by a lawyer for alleged crimes against humanity. He had been in hiding since last month. 

Meanwhile, Shyamal was earlier detained by immigration police while trying to enter India on August 6.