The targeted media personnel have been identified as Zahid Hasan, district correspondent for The Daily Star; Bidhan Majumdar, local representative for News Twenty Four and Jago News; and Barkat Molla, district representative for Manobkantha. According to eyewitness accounts and statements from the victims, the assault occurred while they were discharging their professional duties to cover a political rally.

Recounting the sequence of events, Zahid Hasan explained that he visited the administrative compound to gather news footage of an ongoing demonstration. While capturing photos and videos of the gathering, former district Jubo Dal president Arifuzzaman Molla and his associates reportedly confronted him, attempted to seize his camera, and subjected him to physical abuse before sympathetic local lawyers intervened to rescue him. Another victim, Bidhan Majumdar, stated that he was accosted while walking from the ground floor to the upper level of the building, where he faced slaps, punches, and kicks from supporters before being forcibly ejected from the premises. Repeated attempts by reporters to contact Arifuzzaman Molla for a response regarding these allegations went unanswered.

This confrontation follows a series of escalating tensions that began the previous Saturday night when district authorities demolished three boundary walls belonging to the Shariatpur Press Club. In the aftermath of that demolition, journalist BM Israfil posted remarks and images on social media criticising the local press club president and the district commissioner, an action that subsequently triggered a separate physical attack resulting in a fractured wrist for Israfil. In protest against that assault and the destruction of the boundary walls, local media workers staged a human chain and a protest procession outside the administrative office on Sunday, during which demonstrators briefly surrounded the district commissioner’s vehicle to voice demands for her removal.

The protest actions deeply angered local political activists, leading to social media criticisms and a subsequent resolution by party supporters to stage a counter-rally. Under the banner of general residents, hundreds of participants gathered near the administrative compound on Tuesday morning bearing banners that condemned the earlier actions of certain media workers. Senior regional political figures addressed the assembled crowd, accusing specific individuals of unprofessional conduct and asserting that the administration’s representatives faced unfair targeting during the previous week’s demonstrations.

Local political leaders defended their stance during the assembly, arguing that public officials deserve protection from coordinated disruption. Meanwhile, representatives of the Shariatpur Press Club strongly condemned the assault on the three reporters, characterising the violence as an unwarranted attack on the freedom of the press. Club representatives confirmed intentions to pursue formal legal avenues regarding the incident. Multiple requests for comment directed to the district commissioner, the district superintendent of police, and the local police station officer-in-charge yielded no response at the time of reporting.