"We will carry out a unique mission over the next five years. During the period, no journalists will be allowed to stay in Bagmara. Neither will we let anyone [journalists] from Rajshahi city or elsewhere enter the area," locals quoted JMJB cadres as saying at Hamirkutsa Bazar on Thursday night.

Led by Mustafizur Rahman Mustaque, Majnur Rahman, and an outlaw-turned-JMJB cadre Afzal Hossain, a large group of JMJB activists paraded the roads of Hamirkutsa the same night.

The JMJB operatives made the announcement at Hamirkutsa Bazar, apparently irritated by frequent patrols by Rapid Action Battalion (Rab) and police following The Daily Star reports in last few days.

During their stay, they hurled abuses at The Daily Star correspondent, and said 'from now on journalists are prohibited from operating in Bagmara'.

"Ministers, MPs, high officials of Rab and police are aiding us in different ways, and it is only journalists who are against us," local sources quoted Afzal as saying.

"We are concerned that public support for us is on the wane. And so we now have no alternative to freeing Bagmara of journalists," he told a gathering.

The sources also said that some policemen from Bagmara Police Station had first informed the JMJB cadres of The Daily Star reports and advised them to go into hiding.

Only a couple of days ago, the JMJB men beat up Shafikul Islam, a correspondent of national daily Janakantha.

Islam has left Bagmara in fear of further attacks while Bagmara police have yet to arrest his attackers.

The sources in Bagmara said the JMJB men are currently being controlled by Bangla Bhai's nephew Shahid, who himself is an armed cadre of the vigilante gang.

Bangla Bhai, meanwhile, has been keeping contact with his followers reportedly through Shahid. Mustaque and Prof Lutfar Rahman of Bagmara, and Hemayet Uddin Himu of Naogaon too are in regular communication with Shahid.

The local JMJB cadres have received a number of firearms from Shahid, and they even had patrolled villages recently brandishing some of those arms, the sources added.