3 more arrested, sent to jail over attacks on Prothom Alo and Daily Star offices
A total of 31 accused were arrested, and 29 were sent to jail in two separate cases
A Dhaka court has sent three more accused to jail in connection with two cases filed over attacks, vandalism and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in the capital's Karwan Bazar area.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Sarah Farzana Haque passed the order today (24 December) after a hearing. With this, a total of 31 accused were arrested and 29 sent to jail in two separate cases filed over the incidents.
The accused sent to jail are Jakir Hossain Shanto, 29 of Mymensingh, Niaz Mahmud Farhan, 21 of Bhola, and Azmir Hossain Akash, 27, according to court sources.
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Police produced the accused before the court and sought their detention. Bail petitions were filed for two of the accused in the Prothom Alo case, which the court rejected before ordering all three to be sent to jail.
According to the case statement, on the night of 18 December, around 11:15pm, 20–30 unidentified assailants carrying sticks, sharp weapons and flammable substances marched towards the Prothom Alo office and attempted to launch an attack.
When police intervened, the group unlawfully gathered in front of the office, chanting provocative slogans. They allegedly mobilised more people through phone calls and social media posts, including posts inciting attacks on Prothom Alo. As a result, around 400–500 attackers reportedly gathered at the scene from different parts of Dhaka.
At around 11:50pm, the attackers allegedly broke the office gate, glass panels and shutters, and carried out vandalism, looting and arson. They threw furniture, documents and other items from different floors and set them on fire, looted around 150 computers, laptops, electrical equipment, cash from lockers and books of Prothoma Prokashan.
The attackers also damaged the fire safety system, destroyed CCTV cameras to eliminate evidence, and obstructed fire service personnel from extinguishing the blaze.
The case statement estimates that looted property was worth Tk2.5 crore, while total damage amounted to Tk32 crore. The case was filed by Maj (retd) Md Sazzadul Kabir, head of security of Prothom Alo.
In a separate case filed by The Daily Star, it was alleged that around 12:35am on 19 December, a group of attackers armed with sticks and flammable materials entered its building while chanting provocative slogans. They physically assaulted staff, looted cash and equipment, set fire to multiple floors, and destroyed key infrastructure, including fire safety systems and CCTV cameras.
The case statement said that more than 200 electronic devices worth around Tk5 crore and Tk35 lakh in cash were looted.
Preliminary estimates put the total damage at around Tk40 crore. During the incident, about 30 employees were rescued. The case was filed on 22 December by The Daily Star's Head of Operations, Md Mizanur Rahman, with 350–400 unidentified persons named as accused.
Yesterday, Jakir Hossain Shanto was arrested from the Bailey Road area under Ramna Police Station, while Niaz Mahmud Farhan was arrested around 1:15am in the Borhanuddin area of Bhola by a team of the Detective Branch's Cyber Unit (North Division).
Another accused Md Swapan Mondal, 30, was also arrested from the Abdullahpur area in Gazipur on the same day, DMP Deputy Commissioner (Media and Public Relations) Md Talebur Rahman said.
Azmir Hossain Akash was previously held by the law enforcement agencies.
The arrests and detentions are linked to the violent incidents late on 18 December, when an agitated group vandalised the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star and set parts of the buildings on fire.
While Prothom Alo employees managed to evacuate before the situation escalated, around 28 journalists were trapped inside The Daily Star office when the fire broke out and were later rescued safely by fire service personnel.
Journalists and night-shift staff were forced to flee for their lives, with several taking shelter on rooftops for hours before being rescued.
Although no fatalities were reported, many employees reportedly suffered from smoke inhalation and shock.
