Violent mobs in Dhaka launched coordinated attacks on major newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Alo following the death of a political activist, causing severe damage and disrupting publication.
Mobs in Bangladesh launched coordinated attacks on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in Dhaka early on Friday night, looting valuables, vandalising buildings and trapping journalists inside for hours. At least 150 computers and other electronic equipment were stolen, and office canteens and files were ransacked.
DEATH OF JULY UPRISING FRONTLINER
The attacks came hours after news of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a July uprising activist and February election aspirant from Dhaka, who succumbed to gunshot injuries in Singapore. Protesters accused the newspapers of fomenting unrest and being aligned with political interests, claims rejected by both media houses.
THE DAILY STAR UNDER SIEGE
At The Daily Star’s Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue office, attackers forced entry around midnight. They smashed furniture and glass doors, destroyed computers, cameras and hard drives, tore down posters of martyrs Abu Sayed and Mir Mahfuzur Rahman Mugdho, and set fire to multiple floors.
Flames and thick smoke forced 28 journalists and staff to take shelter on the rooftop for hours. Investigative journalist Zyma Islam posted on Facebook, “I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke. I’m inside. You are killing me.” Firefighters, police and army personnel rescued the trapped staff around 5 am.
The office suffered severe damage, with electricity, water and gas cut off. The Daily Star was unable to publish its print edition for the first time in its 34-year history.
PROTHOM ALO TARGETED SIMULTANEOUSLY
At Prothom Alo’s Karwan Bazar headquarters, attackers began their assault around 11.15 pm, initially blocked by police. The mob regrouped and launched a full-scale attack, breaking windows, furniture, computers, CCTV cameras, fire safety systems and cash lockers. The ground to second floors were gutted, and the building’s OTT platform Chorki sustained major damage.
Employees were forced to flee, with one jumping from the roof to a neighbouring building and sustaining serious injuries. The newspaper could not publish its Friday edition for the first time in its 27-year history, and online operations were suspended for nearly 17 hours.
Fire services were delayed as protesters blocked access. Two firefighters, Md Alamgir and Md Shafiul Alam, were electrocuted and hospitalised. Police, army and civic leaders, including Nurul Kabir and Shahidul Alam, intervened to secure the area, eventually allowing safe evacuation.
WIDER ATTACKS
The violence extended beyond the media houses. In Dhanmondi, a mob attacked Chhayanaut Bhaban, vandalising musical instruments, artworks and offices. Parts of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s residence in Dhanmondi-32 were demolished using excavators. The Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi office on Topkhana Road was set on fire.
Protests spread to Chattogram, Rajshahi, Uttara and other areas, targeting political and cultural institutions. Police detained 10 people in Chattogram after protesters pelted stones at the Assistant Indian High Commission.
GOVERNMENT RESPONSE
Interim Chief Adviser Prof Muhammad Yunus spoke to editors Matiur Rahman and Mahfuz Anam, expressing deep condolences and assuring government support. Cultural Affairs Adviser Mostofa Sarwar Farooki pledged assistance to restore damaged institutions.
Political parties and media organisations, including the Editors’ Council, Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) and the Media Freedom Coalition, condemned the attacks. Local journalist and civic leaders attempted to persuade attackers to leave, eventually allowing firefighters and police to bring the fires under control.
Authorities suggest a vested interest group exploited public anger over Sharif Osman Hadi’s death to incite violence. Prothom Alo described it as “a black day for independent media,” aimed at undermining upcoming elections and damaging Bangladesh’s international image.
