Protests after Bangladeshi journalist is killed in bomb attack

A journalist who wrote about smuggling, the mafia, and Maoist rebels was killed in a bomb attack yesterday in south-west Bangladesh.

Manik Saha, a 45-year-old reporter forNew Age newspaper, was leaving a press club in Khulna city, 85 miles south-west of the capital, Dhaka, when unidentified attackers hurled the bomb at him. Mr Saha was decapitated in the blast. No one claimed responsibility for the attack.

International media groups have labelled Bangladesh one of the world's most dangerous countries for journalists, scores of whom are routinely assaulted, threatened and detained.

Dozens of journalists took to the streets in Khulna to protest against Mr Saha's killing. The protesters waved black flags and demanded that police arrest the attackers. Hassan Shahriar, the Bangladeshi president of the Commonwealth Journalists Association, said: "This is clearly an attack on the freedom of the press."

Local newspaper offices hoisted black flags and decided to bring out today's editions with a blank column on the front page as a mark of protest. The Khulna Press Club called for a day-long general strike in the city tomorrow.

Mr Saha was involved with local media rights groups - the Bangladesh Federation of Journalists, and the Bangladesh Centre for Development, Journalism and Communication. He also worked with the Bengali language service of the BBC, its Dhaka office said.

The Khulna region, where Mr Saha was based, borders India's West Bengal state. The area is known for smuggling, and for Maoist rebels campaigning for armed revolution to establish Communism in the Muslim-majority nation.