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‘Journalists were scared to death’: Bangladesh newspaper editor reacts to overnight arson
“Some miscreants vandalised (media) house,” said Prothom Alo's editor. “While journalists were working on tomorrow's newspaper and online, a sad thing happened”
Violence erupted overnight in Bangladesh on Friday following the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. Unrest escalated as protesters targeted major media houses, including Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, two of Dhaka’s leading newspapers.
Several videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalising offices and setting fires, while journalists inside posted urgent messages online, pleading for the violence to stop.
At The Daily Star, at least 25 journalists were trapped for over four hours after a mob stormed the building in Kawran Bazar around midnight, according to BD News24. Earlier, protesters had vandalised Prothom Alo’s office, chanting slogans.
Prothom Alo editor describes ‘darkest night’
Executive Editor of Prothom Alo, Sajjad Sharif, described the attack as a “darkest night” for Bangladesh’s newspapers, reported news agency ANI. The unrest that erupted after the death of Osman Hadi, according to Sharif, fueled widespread anger in society.
“Some miscreants vandalised our (media) house,” he said. “Last night, while our journalists were working on tomorrow's newspaper and online, a sad thing happened… They attacked us, and our journalists were scared to death. They had to flee the office,” the news agency reported.
The newspaper was forced to suspend publication, both in print and online. "We couldn't publish our newspaper today, and our online site has been off since last night. Since its establishment in 1998, in 27 years, it's the first time we haven't published our newspaper," Sharif added.
He called the attack an assault on freedom of speech and freedom of the news media, urging authorities to investigate and bring the perpetrators to justice: “We urge the government to conduct a proper investigation to find out the miscreants and bring them under the law.”
Narrow escape at The Daily Star
A journalist who was trapped on the rooftop of The Daily Star described the harrowing ordeal to BD News24, saying: “We were lucky — we narrowly escaped a major disaster today. I don’t know where this country is headed.” The staff were stranded there as protesters set fire to the building.
Reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook: “I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke.”
Army personnel eventually opened a staircase exit, allowing staff to escape via the rear fire-exit staircase around 3:45 am. By early Friday, firefighters had brought the blaze under control.
Meanwhile, Nurul Kabir, Editors’ Council President and New Age editor, along with photographer Shahidul Alam, arrived to calm the attackers, but Kabir was reportedly harassed.
Two fire service personnel were injured while trying to extinguish the fire at Prothom Alo and are currently receiving treatment in a Dhaka hospital, BBC Bangla reported.
