"We Will Set Office On Fire": Bangladesh Channel Threatened Over Journalist

Amid mounting concerns over press freedom in Bangladesh, a fresh intimidation episode has surfaced just days after violent attacks on leading newspaper offices drew international outrage. 

According to reports, a group of young men went to the Tejgaon office of Global TV Bangladesh earlier this week and warned the management to remove its head of news, Naznin Munni. They allegedly threatened that they would face the same destruction as Prothom Alo and The Daily Star if their demand was not met. The group accused Munni of being aligned with the Awami League.

Although the visitors claimed to represent the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, a group that played a key role in last year's protests, the organisation has denied any involvement. Its president, Rifat Rashid, said the group would initiate disciplinary action against anyone found responsible.

The confrontation took place on December 21, just three days after mob violence left the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star vandalised and torched. Those attacks followed unrest across Bangladesh after the death of anti-India youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi.

Munni later disclosed the incident in a Facebook post, stating that seven to eight individuals entered the Global TV office and issued a direct warning. 

"Around 7-8 people came to my office in the name of the city unit of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement and threatened that if I do not quit my job, they will set fire to the office like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star," she said in her post.

🇧🇩 Global TV Journalist Threatened: 'Remove Her Or We Will Set The Office On Fire'

Days after attacks on Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, a group of youths visited Global TV Bangladesh's Dhaka office and warned that its head of news, Naznin Munni, must be removed or the channel… pic.twitter.com/fzUqenIqHZ

— RT_India (@RT_India_news) December 24, 2025

Speaking to Prothom Alo, Munni clarified that she was not present at the office at the time. She said the youths instead met the channel's managing director and complained that Global TV's coverage of Osman Hadi's death was not enough.

Hadi, 32, was known for his aggressive anti-India stance and rose to prominence during the 2024 student-led uprising that culminated in the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. Earlier this month, he was shot by unidentified attackers on a motorcycle and died of his injuries last week.

Recounting what transpired inside the office, Munni said the men demanded her removal, telling the managing director, "The young men told the MD, why have you kept Naznin Munni? She is an Awami League supporter. She cannot be retained in her job. Remove her." 

The group allegedly pressed the management to sign a written commitment to dismiss her within 48 hours. The managing director refused to comply.

According to Munni, this refusal escalated tensions. "What we want will happen. Even Prothom Alo and The Daily Star could not do anything. You are nothing compared to them," she quoted them as saying.

Munni further said that while the managing director did not sign the document, one of his colleagues present during the meeting did. She also revealed that the channel's management initially advised her to stay silent and avoid the office for a few days after the threat.

"Regarding this threat, the office asked me to remain quiet. I was told not to come to the office for a few days. But I posted a status anyway. The management was unhappy. Still, I will not stay silent. They keep issuing threats every couple of days, which is unacceptable..."

Rejecting the allegations against her, Munni added, "I have repeatedly said, prove whether I have any links with the Awami League. They could not find even a single instance of such involvement."