A violent mob attacked the offices of Bangladeshi newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star on the night of 18th December. While no journalist or employee was injured, the two buildings were vandalised and set on fire, gutting everything inside. The violence erupted after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore, a week after he was shot in Dhaka.
The mob moved freely on the Dhaka streets, entered the Prothom Alo office and then the Daily Star office. Both organisations had realised that they could be targeted, and had requested the administration for security. The security arrived at the Prothom Alo office after the mob had arrived and started the attack. Although the forces arrived on time at the Daily Star office, they could not save the office from being vandalised and set on fire.
Now a video has emerged showing that army officials actually allowed the mob to attack the office, they only focused on save evacuation of trapped people inside the building. In the video, several personnel of the Bangladesh Army can be seen facing a large group of attackers, talking to them. The army official who was talking to the mob requested 20 minutes to evacuate, saying that they could continue what they wanted to do after that.
The officer can be heard saying, “Make some space, give us just 20 minutes”. The mob leaders request the army to leave the place, but the office reiterates the request for 20 minutes. One of them asks, “You confirm that you will leave?” to which the officer nods yes. The leader also asks whether the army can do it in less time, but the office says that they will need 20 minutes.
Then the mob leader says, ‘You complete your activities, then leave this place, we respect you’. The army officer confirms that they will leave after evacuating the people in 20 minutes, permitting them to do whatever they want at the office building after that.
The mob leaders then announce to the others behind them, “We have allowed them 20 minutes, please make way for them”.
This video makes it clear that the vandalism of the Daily Star building was approved by authorities, and they only focused on rescuing the people trapped inside.
As per Daily Star, when its reporters and editors were working at midnight to publish the morning edition, they started getting calls that the Prothom Alo office, around 400 meters away, was being attacked, and their office could be the next. As a result, they shut down everything and prepared to leave.
However, when they were coming down, they heard that the mob had already arrived and was smashing glass panels and furniture. Therefore, they climbed back up and went to the roof, and were trapped there as they could not come down, and there was no other way out. Then the building was set on fire, and they were covered by black smoke, and could not see anything. They also ran out of water to wash their eyes.
After some time, a fire service crane reached the rooftop, one staff member went down using it. But then other staff members started calling them, saying that it was too risky to use the crane, as the mob was still vandalising the place; therefore, the others didn’t use it. They were rescued later using the stairs after army personnel reached the roof, after taking permission for 20 minutes from the mob.
Entire ground and first floors of the Daily Star Centre Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue in Dhaka were completely gutted, while the upper floors were extensively vandalised. The Prothom Alo building was also similarly vandalised and gutted.
Both newspapers have said that the attack was a bid to destabilise the country ahead of national elections scheduled for February 2026, to derail the polls. Calling it “dark day” for independent journalism, they said that a “vested interest group” exploited public anger over the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi.
