Dhaka Violence: Prothom Alo Journalist Says They Were 'Scared To Death, Had To Flee' Watch

(MENAFN- Live Mint) Violent protests broke out across Bangladesh's capital Dhaka on Friday night after the death of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. The unrest quickly turned toward the media, with mobs attacking the offices of two major newspapers: Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.

The Attacks

The violence began around midnight in Dhaka's Kawran Bazar area. Protesters stormed the buildings, breaking equipment and setting offices on fire.

The Daily Star

At least 25 journalists were trapped inside for over four hours as a mob surrounded The Daily Star newspaper building, as reported by BD News24.

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A journalist who was trapped on the rooftop of the building 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 newspaper staff were stranded there as protesters sett fire to the building.

The siege ended early Friday morning around 3:45 AM. Army personnel arrived at The Daily Star and opened a fire exit, allowing the trapped staff to escape safely.

Firefighters managed to bring the flames under control shortly after, though two fire service workers were injured and are now in the hospital, reported BBC Bangla.

Reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook:“I can't breathe anymore. There's too much smoke.”

Prothom Alo

Protesters vandalized the Prothom Alo office while chanting slogans, eventually forcing the paper to stop all print and online publishing.

Sajjad Sharif, Executive Editor of Prothom Alo, described the event as the "darkest night" for the country's press. He called the riots a direct attack on freedom of speech and asked authorities to arrest those responsible, as reported by news agency ANI.

“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,” he said.

The unrest that erupted after the death of Osman Hadi, fueled widespread anger in society, according to Sharif.

"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 further said:“We urge the government to conduct a proper investigation to find out the miscreants and bring them under the law.”

Other media leaders, including Editors' Council President and New Age editor Nurul Kabir, along with photographer Shahidul Alam, tried to calm the crowds, but were reportedly harassed.

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Hundreds of thousands of mourners gathered outside Bangladesh's Parliament complex on Saturday to pay their final respects to Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent activist whose death has ignited a fresh wave of political and diplomatic turmoil, as reported by Associated Press.

Saturday was declared a national day of mourning as the country reels from the loss of a man who was a central figure in the uprising that ended former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's 15-year rule last year.

Hadi died in a Singapore hospital on Thursday from gunshot wounds sustained during an attack in Dhaka on December 12. While police say they have identified suspects. Authorities believe the shooter has likely fled to India, where former leader Sheikh Hasina currently resides in exile. This development has sparked a diplomatic squabble between the two neighbors.

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