Burning democracy in Bangladesh: ‘The Daily Star’ and ‘Prothom Alo’ offices torched, 28 journalists trapped on rooftop for three hours

New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu):

Violence triggered in Bangladesh after the death of Usman Hadi has now reached media institutions as well. Late last night, mobs went on a rampage in the capital Dhaka and set fire to the offices of the country’s leading English daily The Daily Star and Bengali newspaper Prothom Alo. Located in the Karwan Bazar area, the offices were first vandalised and then torched by the rioters.

During the horrifying incident, around 28 journalists were trapped on the rooftop of the burning The Daily Star building for nearly three hours, facing the constant fear of death. The situation deteriorated to such an extent that the newsroom was completely gutted by fire, forcing the management to temporarily suspend both print and digital operations.

According to a report by BDNews24, newsroom staff received a phone call warning them about the approaching mob. They initially tried to escape downstairs, but by then the attackers had already occupied the lower floors and set them on fire. As thick smoke filled the building, journalists rushed to the rooftop on the ninth floor to save their lives.

The terror intensified when a canteen worker attempted to descend through the fire-exit staircase but was caught and brutally beaten by the mob below. After witnessing this, none of the journalists dared to come down. Fire service personnel later arrived to control the blaze and rescue those trapped, but ongoing violence and looting outside kept journalists stranded on the rooftop.

Panic peaked when several attackers reached the rooftop door and began banging on it. To protect themselves, journalists used flower pots to block the entrance. Editors’ Council president Nurul Kabir and photographer Shahidul Alam tried to reason with the mob but were also misbehaved with.

After prolonged efforts, soldiers created a safe passage on one side of the staircase, allowing journalists to be evacuated through the fire exit and the rear of the building. Meanwhile, attackers continued looting from another route. One rescued journalist said they were fortunate to survive but feared deeply about the direction in which the country is heading.