They Boycotted Me but Kept Me on Their Friend List: Pori Moni

In a post on her Facebook account on Sunday (8 November), Pori Moni wrote, 'What kind of boycott is this from them! They announced a boycott but kept me on their friend list.'

Meanwhile, four journalists' organisations in the country have strongly condemned and protested the recent incident involving Pori Moni. The organisations are the Multimedia Reporters Association (MRA), Multimedia Reporters Unity (MRU), Digital Reporters Forum (DRF) and Youth Journal.

The organisers have also dropped Pori Moni from the guest list of the upcoming 'Chattogram Fashion Vanguard Award' in Chattogram. The event's media coordinator and partner, Khaled Suman, said the decision was taken in the face of journalists' protests, boycott and calls to resist her.

Earlier, on Friday (6 November), Pori Moni had shared the event's poster on her verified Facebook account and written, 'See you, dear Chattogram.' After the poster spread on social media, anger arose among journalists working in Chattogram.

The recent controversy surrounding Pori Moni began last Thursday (5 November). That day, she surrendered before Dhaka's Chief Judicial Magistrate Court and received bail. In the case filed by businessman Nasir Uddin Mahmud for assault, vandalism and intimidation, her bail had earlier been cancelled and an arrest warrant issued; later, the judge granted her bail on a Tk 500 bond.

As she was leaving the court, there was pushing and shoving between Pori Moni's personal bodyguards and the media workers present. At that time, allegations arose of a journalist being harassed and his mobile phone being snatched. Pori Moni expressed anger, alleging that someone in the crowd had touched her.