Staff at two leading Bangladeshi newspapers said they were gasping for air as protesters, roused by the death of a prominent activist, set their offices alight on Thursday.
Sharif Osman Hadi, who had emerged as a key figure after last year's anti-government protests that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday.
Hundreds of protesters stormed the offices of English newspaper The Daily Star and Bengali daily Prothom Alo on Thursday night, with demonstrations spilling into the next day. It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh, the English language Daily Star said in a statement.
For the first time in 35 years, The Daily Star could not publish its print edition on Friday and will be inoperable for a while, according to consulting editor Kamal Ahmed. Twenty-eight of our colleagues were trapped on the rooftop of the building for hours... They were gasping for fresh air, Ahmed said. They were rescued only after additional military reinforcement arrived.
No serious injuries were reported, but large parts of the buildings were charred when BBC Bangla visited on Friday, with smoke still rising from Prothom Alo's building.
The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus condemned the violence, vowing to hand perpetrators full justice. Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself, it stated. Bangladesh is set to hold elections next February—the first since Hasina's ousting.
It's unclear why protesters targeted The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, as both are seen as secular and progressive voices, often critical of the government. Since the July 2024 uprising, the two newspapers continued critical coverage of some interim policies.
Other notable buildings, including the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s first president, were also vandalized and set ablaze amid the chaos.
Hadi was a senior leader of the protest group Inqilab Mancha, gaining a wide following for his critiques of Hasina's rule and her alleged connection to India. Shortly before his death, he expressed intentions to participate in the upcoming election.
His murder prompted Yunus to label it an "irreparable loss" for the nation, attributing it to those attempting to destabilize the nation. He emphasized that violence cannot thwart Bangladesh's progress towards democracy.
The interim government has declared a day of national mourning, and investigations into the shooting are ongoing with several arrests made.
