- The death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi sparked protests in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka
- Protesters vandalised and set fire to Prothom Alo and The Daily Star newspaper offices
- Journalists inside The Daily Star faced smoke and fire, with some trapped on the terrace
The death of a 32-year-old, Sharif Osman Hadi, Bangladesh's youth leader, has ignited fresh protests in the country. Hundreds of Hadi's supporters gathered in a square in the capital city to protest with some vandalising the offices of the Bangladeshi newspapers 'Prothom Alo' and 'The Daily Star'.
It began with an attack on the Bengali-language daily newspaper Prothom Alo, where the crowd had gone chanting slogans before setting the building on fire around midnight.
"Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building," a witness said, adding that the protesters then set The Daily Star office on fire following the vandalism of a Prothom Alo building.
A phone call from outside warned staff that a crowd was moving towards The Daily Star premises, a journalist told bdnews24. The newsroom staff tried to move downstairs but the mob had begun vandalising the ground and first floors of the office building before setting it on fire.
"I can't breathe anymore," Zyma Islam, The Daily Star reporter posted on Facebook. "There's too much smoke. I'm inside. You are killing me," she added.
The night shift staff reportedly moved to the terrace to save their lives. At least 25 journalists of The Daily Star were rescued over four hours after the mob attack on the office building in Dhaka's Kawran Bazar, reported bdnews24.
The fire was brought under control at around 2 am but it took a couple of more hours to bring the journalists out of the building as the crowd charged towards the building.
"All The Daily Star staff have just been successfully evacuated to a safe place, thanks to the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service," Mahmud Hasan, a staff wrote on social media and thanked army for the resuce operation. "Special thanks to an army major whose valor today matched that of “Major Rana,” the iconic fictional hero from Masud Rana series created by Kazi Anwar Hossain, for leading the evacuation operation," he added.
The Army has been deployed in front of The Daily Star building, bdnews24 reported.
Editors' Council President and New Age Editor Nurul Kabir was heckled. Videos from the ground show a violent mob pulling Kabir's hair and thrashing him.
It is unclear why both newspapers, known for their passive support for Yunus and his interim government, came under attack.
Also Read | Bangladesh On Edge After Student Leader's Death, Media Houses Set On Fire
