As a fresh wave of violence swept through Bangladesh’s capital following the death of a prominent student leader, Sharif Osman Hadi, on Thursday, angry mobs targeted some of the country’s leading media houses and attacked journalists.
Late on Thursday night and into the early hours of Friday, protesters stormed the headquarters of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s two leading newspapers, carrying out widespread vandalism.
The crowds set fire to the buildings of the dailies, trapping journalists and other staff inside. Hours later, the journalists and other staff were evacuated, and the fires were brought under control early Friday.
On Friday, The Daily Star office was attacked again. Both the media houses suspended the publication of their Friday edition.
The mob also assaulted veteran journalist Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age and a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s media landscape.
The attacks, marked by arson and extensive damage, followed the confirmation of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the activist group Inquilab Mancha and a prominent figure of the “July Uprising” that toppled the Sheikh Hasina regime in August 2024.
According to local media reports, groups of people assembled outside the newspaper offices and then launched coordinated attacks.
Zyma Islam, a senior reporter at the Daily Star, who was among those many trapped inside, wrote on Facebook, “I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke. I’m inside. You are killing me”.
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In several places, protesters raised anti-India slogans and targeted Indian diplomatic missions. Dozens of demonstrators attempted to march towards the office of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Rajshahi district, which borders India, but were later stopped.
