After the death of student leader and spokesperson of the “Inquilab Manch,” Sharif Osman Hadi, an aggressive mob attacked two major media outlets in Bangladesh. Following Hadi’s death, unrest spread across the country, and on Thursday violent crowds carried out arson, vandalism, and attacks in the capital Dhaka and several other cities. During these attacks, the offices of two leading newspapers—Prothom Alo and the English-language daily The Daily Star—were set on fire and vandalized late Thursday night.
According to Rasad Ahmed, a journalist with Bangladesh’s daily New Age, hundreds of protesters gathered around the media houses from around 11 p.m. on Thursday. Speaking to Kantipur, Ahmed said, “The arson started around 12:45 a.m. Journalists working inside the building could not get out. The army later rescued them. Our editor, Nurkul Kabir, who went for the rescue, was also attacked by the agitated mob.” Ahmed said both newspapers were targeted with arson within a span of about 15 minutes.
A journalist from The Daily Star told Kantipur that he and 28 other journalists and staff members were trapped inside the office for nearly four hours. “When smoke filled the building, it became difficult to breathe. To save our lives, we had to go up to the roof of the eight-storey building,” he said. They were eventually rescued with the help of the army.
Following the attacks, the Friday print editions and online services of both newspapers were disrupted. Prothom Alo said it was unable to publish its regular print edition for the first time in its 27-year history. In a statement titled “To Our Readers,” the newspaper said it could not publish the print edition due to vandalism and arson at its office, and that its online portal was also temporarily disrupted.
The statement said, “Along with us, The Daily Star office was also subjected to terrorist attacks, vandalism, and arson. There are sufficient grounds to believe that various vested groups carried out these attacks in a planned manner, using the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi as a pretext.” The newspaper strongly condemned the incident, calling it a direct attack on press freedom, democracy, and freedom of expression.
Similarly, The Daily Star failed to publish news on Friday for the first time in its 35-year history. Images showing large parts of the offices of both newspapers burned and destroyed were made public after the incident. Following the attacks, Bangladesh’s interim government condemned the assaults on journalists as “an attack on truth and democracy.” Prime Minister Muhammad Yunus pledged an investigation and action against those responsible and met with the editors of both newspapers.
Media circles have assessed the incident, which occurred ahead of the general election scheduled for February, as a serious blow to independent journalism. In its statement, The Daily Star said, “They may burn our offices, but they cannot burn our commitment. We will remain steadfast in our dedication to democracy and freedom of expression and continue our search for the truth.”
Why was the media targeted?
To understand why Bangladeshi media outlets were attacked, we spoke with several journalists in Bangladesh. According to Masum Billah of The Business Standard, some influential figures spread false accusations against the media and incited arson and vandalism.
“Some influential social media influencers living in countries such as the United States and France used their millions of followers to incite attacks on these newspapers,” Masum told Kantipur. “They portrayed the papers as ‘anti-national’ and ‘agents of the previous government.’”
He said that already-angry crowds were further provoked through false rumors. “These influencers labeled the newspapers as ‘pro-India’ or ‘agents of the Awami League.’ But all these accusations are baseless. They were merely used as a pretext to destroy media houses and silence independent voices.”
Similarly, New Age journalist Rasad Ahmed said the attackers accused the newspapers of spreading an Indian narrative. Speaking to Kantipur, he said, “The attackers claimed there was ‘shadow Indian media’ operating in Dhaka and accused these outlets of promoting Indian narratives in Bangladesh. Citing this, they targeted the newspapers.”
According to Ahmed, the attackers alleged that the newspapers promoted Indian perspectives and agendas. “Their argument was that these papers advance Indian viewpoints and agendas. That perception became the basis for the attacks. But all these allegations are unfounded,” he said. “They targeted the media houses, claiming they wanted to break ‘Indian dominance’ and ‘cultural fascism’ in the Karwan Bazar area.” Ahmed previously worked at The Daily Star before joining New Age.
Julker Nayeen of Global Voices said the attacks were not merely spontaneous reactions by a mob. “Hadi’s death was the immediate trigger, but according to both newspapers, certain groups exploited the mourning and public anger over his death to incite violence against the media,” Julker said. “These attacks were not just spontaneous crowd reactions.”
He added that since the previous government was ousted in August 2024, the nature of political debate in Bangladesh has changed. “Prothom Alo and The Daily Star have consistently prioritized secular democratic values and investigative journalism,” he said.
According to Julker, the newspapers were portrayed as “Hasina-aligned” or “pro-India.” He noted, “Both newspapers have repeatedly clarified that they are independent and impartial.”
He also said the attacks could be an attempt to destabilize the country ahead of the upcoming election and to suppress critical voices. “As the general election scheduled for February 2026 approaches, political tensions are intensifying. These attacks may be an effort to destabilize the country before the national election and silence critical voices,” he said.
