Bangladesh’s leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were plunged into chaos as their offices were vandalised and set ablaze during violent unrest sparked by an anti-India protest. The violence erupted due to the death of 32-year-old youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, turning the city’s media hubs into targets as attackers torched premises, ransacked equipment and forced operations to a halt.
The news organisations shared their accounts of the tragedy, stating that it has been the first time in years of the organisation's running, except for the newspaper holidays, that the media houses had to face a day-long shutdown. The website for Prothom Alo was also closed for about 17 hours.
"Due to the disruption of operations due to the attack, Friday's Prothom Alo was not published. For the first time in its 27 years of establishment, Prothom Alo's publication was closed for a day, excluding a newspaper holiday," the media organisation stated. "The online version of Prothom Alo was closed for about 17 hours."
Prothom Alo's office set ablaze by attackers (Source: Prothom Alo)
The English media outlet 'Daily Star' also came under attack. Like Prothom Alo, Daily Star also faced it for the first time in its 33-year history as it had suspended its reportage without a holiday.
While Prothom Alo journalists and staff were able to evacuate the building to save their lives, 28 of the Daily Star's staff were trapped on the office's roof during the attack.
How the attack unfolded — Prothom AloAccording to Prothom Alo, the attack on its Karwan Bazar office began around 11.15 pm on Thursday. Although police initially tried to stop the mob, the attackers eventually took control of the premises for nearly an hour and a half, chanting slogans directly targeting the newspaper.
Firefighters extinguish fire at Prothom Alo's office (Source: Prothom Alo)
"At around 11.15pm on Thursday, 30 to 35 attackers first marched from Shahbagh to the Prothom Alo office in Karwan Bazar. When they tried to attack, the police stopped them. Failing, they took positions in front of the Prothom Alo office and started shouting various slogans. Then some of them started making various threats, including burning Prothom Alo and attacking anyone from Prothom Alo if they found them," Prothom Alo said.
The newspaper added that the group continued to mobilise more people, allegedly through Facebook and YouTube.
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Bangladesh Protests News Live Updates: Osman Hadi laid to rest in Dhaka; Yunus attends funeral"At one stage, the attackers blocked the road below the Karwan Bazar metro station. In such a situation, some people residing abroad on social media Facebook and YouTube started inciting an attack on Prothom Alo. Amidst the incitement, another group of attackers came from Shahbagh in front of the Prothom Alo office," it said.
The assault escalated around 12.15 am.
"At first, they started throwing bricks and breaking the glass of the building. Then they started breaking the shutters of the main gate of the building. At one stage, they broke the shutters of the four-story building and entered inside and started vandalising," Prothom Alo said.
The newspaper reported that the attackers not only vandalised the office and damaged valuable equipment but also destroyed the building’s firefighting system and broke CCTV cameras.
The premises were also looted extensively.
"During the attack, the attackers looted every floor of the building. They looted more than 150 computers and laptops, multiple lockers for storing money, cash, and personal belongings from the employees' desks. Some were also seen taking books from Prothoma Prakash's own sales centre on the ground floor of the building. Nothing was left on the first, second, and third floors of the building," Prothom Alo said.
Daily Star vandalised; staff trappedWitnesses quoted by Prothom Alo said that around midnight on Thursday, about 200 attackers forced their way through The Daily Star’s main gate, vandalised the ground floor, and set fire to a pile of furniture and newspapers. The blaze later spread to the third floor of the building.
In a particularly distressing development, 28 journalists and staff members of The Daily Star were trapped on the rooftop amid heavy smoke.
"I can't breathe. Lots of smoke. I'm trapped inside. You're killing me," Daily Star senior reporter Zaima Islam wrote on Facebook from the rooftop around 1 am.
Daily Star's office set ablaze by the mob (Source: Prothom Alo)
Although the fire brigade arrived, fear of the mob inside the building led those trapped to ask rescuers not to evacuate them using a crane. "We asked the Fire Service not to take us down by crane because of the risk. They agreed," a reporter said, as quoted by The Daily Star.
Rescue efforts continued amid intense fear, with staff unsure whether they would be attacked. According to The Daily Star, there was eventually a knock on the rooftop door, and a voice from the other side identified himself as an army officer.
"We couldn't trust him at first. We took time to verify before opening the door."
After his identity was confirmed, the door was opened and the officer told them they would be rescued. The group then followed him silently down the stairwell.
"Our bodies were shaking with fear. We were told not to turn on our phone lights and not to make any noise."
They were eventually escorted out of the office.
Calling it one of the "darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh", The Daily Star said the incident "must not be taken lightly."