A journalist from The Daily Star told Kantipur that 28 journalists and staff, including himself, were locked up in the office for about four hours.
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Aggressive mobs have attacked two major media outlets in Bangladesh following the death of student leader and 'Inquilab Manch' spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi.
An agitated crowd in Dhaka and other cities on Thursday set fire to, vandalized and attacked the offices of two major dailies, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, in the course of the attack.
According to Rasad Ahmed, a journalist with Bangladeshi daily New Age, hundreds of protesters had gathered around the media offices since around 11 pm on Thursday.
Ahmed told Kantipur, 'The arson took place at around 12:45 midnight. The journalists working inside the building could not get out. They were later rescued by the army. Our editor Narkul Kabir, who went to rescue them, was also attacked by the inciting mob.' According to Ahmed, both the newspapers were set on fire within a period of around 15 minutes.
A journalist from 'The Daily Star' told Kantipur that 28 journalists and staff, including himself, were trapped in the office for about four hours. 'It was difficult to breathe after the smoke filled the building.' He said. They were rescued with the help of the army.
The Friday print edition and online services of both newspapers were disrupted after the attack. 'Prothom Alo' has stated that it has not been able to publish a regular print edition for the first time in its 27-year history. In a statement issued 'on behalf of the readers', the newspaper stated that the print edition could not be published due to vandalism and arson in the office and that the online portal was also disrupted for some time.
The statement said, 'The Daily Star office was also subjected to a terrorist attack, vandalism and arson along with us.' There is ample reason to believe that these attacks were planned by various interest groups using the assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi as an excuse. The newspaper has strongly condemned it as a direct attack on press freedom, democracy and freedom of expression.
Similarly, The Daily Star was unable to publish news on Friday for the first time in its 35-year history. Photos have been released showing large parts of the offices of both newspapers being burnt down after the arson. Following the incident, Bangladesh's interim government has condemned the attack on journalists as an 'attack on truth and democracy'. Prime Minister Mohammad Yunus has met the editors of both newspapers, promising to investigate and take action against the perpetrators.
The incident, which took place on the eve of the general elections to be held in February, has been assessed by the media as a serious attack on independent journalism. The Daily Star said in a statement, 'They can burn our offices, but they cannot burn our commitment.' We will continue to search for the truth while remaining steadfast in our commitment to democracy and freedom of expression.'
Why was the media targeted?
We spoke to some Bangladeshi journalists about why Bangladeshi media was attacked. According to Business Standard journalist Masum Billa, some influential influencers have made false accusations against the media and have committed arson and vandalism.
'Some influential social media influencers living in the US, France and other countries used their millions of followers to incite attacks on these newspapers. They promoted the newspapers as 'anti-national' and 'agents of the former government,'' Masum told Kantipur.
According to him, the already angry public was further incited through false rumors. He added, "The influencers have branded the newspaper as 'pro-India' or 'agents of the Awami League'. But all these allegations are baseless. These allegations have been used as an excuse to destroy the media house and suppress free speech."
Similarly, 'New Age' journalist Rasad Ahmed also said that the attackers accused the newspapers of spreading the Indian narrative. He told Kantipur, "The attackers claimed that there was a 'shadow Indian media' in Dhaka and accused those media outlets of spreading the Indian narrative in Bangladesh. They targeted those newspapers for this reason."
They accused these newspapers of promoting Indian views and agendas and targeted the media houses, said Mohammed. "Their argument was that these newspapers promote Indian views and agendas. This assumption formed the basis of the attack." But all these allegations are baseless,' he said, 'They targeted the media house saying they wanted to break the 'Indian dominance' and 'cultural fascism' in the Karwan Bazaar area.' He worked at the Daily Star before joining the News Age.
'Global Voices' journalist Zulker Nayen said that these attacks were not just a sudden mob reaction. 'Hadi's death was the immediate cause.' But according to both newspapers, some groups used the grief and public anger over his death to incite violence against the media. These attacks were not just a sudden mob reaction,' Zulker said, 'After the previous government was ousted in August 2024, the nature of political discourse in Bangladesh has changed.' Prothom Alo and The Daily Star have consistently prioritized secular democratic values and investigative journalism.'
According to Zulker, the newspaper was portrayed as 'pro-Haseena' or 'pro-India'. He said, 'Both these newspapers have been making it clear that they are independent and impartial.'
He said the attacks on the media could also be an attempt to destabilize the country and suppress critical voices ahead of the upcoming elections. 'As the general elections due in February 2026 approach, political tensions are intensifying.' These attacks could be an attempt to destabilize the country and suppress critical voices ahead of the national elections,' he said.
