'Access denied': What officials say about restriction on media entry to secretariat
Highlights
- Media access denied at secretariat for indefinite period, home ministry said yesterday
- Restriction on journalists' entry to secretariat temporary, home ministry said today
- Access to secretariat through accreditation cards for journos cancelled until further orders, home ministry said yesterday
- No journo's accreditation card cancelled. Only its use within the secretariat restricted temporarily, CA's deputy press secy said today
- Temporary daily access cards to be issued by respective ministries for any press events, CA press wing said today
The fire at the secretariat two days ago, which gutted several floors of the building and caused a firefighter to lose his life, prompted stricter security measures.
Since yesterday, various official statements have been made to cement the initiative to deny access or entry to the secretariat over security reasons. However, some may see the move as a ploy to keep journalists away from the investigation.
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Those spreading rumours that the investigation will be conducted by keeping journalists away are gravely mistaken.
While one laid down emphasis on no entry for journalists indefinitely, another claimed that it is only temporary. There were also confusions about whether or not journalists accreditation cards were cancelled.
So, here's what the home ministry, the chief adviser's press wing and the deputy press secretary of the chief adviser had to say.
Media access denied at secretariat for indefinite period, home ministry said yesterday
Yesterday (27 December), the ministry banned entry to the Bangladesh Secretariat for all, except the secretariat staff and government employees, for an indefinite period citing security reasons following the devastating fire in the administrative headquarters.
Even journalists with accreditation cards will not be able to enter the building until further notice, reads a press statement signed by Khoda Baksh Chowdhury, special assistant to the chief adviser.
In the interest of increasing the overall security of the Bangladesh Secretariat, all types of temporary entry passes issued to non-government employees have been cancelled, reads the press statement.
However, the permanent entry pass - Digital Access Control System - issued to the officials and employees working in the secretariat, and the temporary access pass issued to the government officials and employees will remain active.
"Access to the secretariat through accreditation cards issued in favour of journalists is hereby cancelled until further orders," it adds.
However, holders of the cancelled secretariat entry passes can apply for a new temporary entry pass through the special cell set up at Bangladesh Police, Crime Command and Control Center, DMP, 15 Abdul Gani Road, Dhaka within the next 15 days.
This morning, the chief adviser's press wing came up with an explanation in this regard.
Restriction on journalists' entry to secretariat is temporary, home ministry said today
The decision regarding the entry of journalists to the secretariat is temporary, the Ministry of Home Affairs said in a statement.
A positive decision in this regard will be taken soon after discussion with the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, according to a press release sent by Faisal Hassan, Public Relations Officer of the ministry.
"In view of the ongoing investigation into the fire incident at the secretariat, the above decision has been taken regarding the entry of the journalists."
Journalists' access to secretariat restricted for KPI safety: CA press wing
The government's decision to restrict journalists from entering the secretariat was made to ensure the safety and security of the key point installations (KPI), the CA press wing said.
Expressing regret for the inconvenience and seeking cooperation from the journalists, the press wing said the government would soon review the existing press accreditation cards and invite fresh applications from all the local and international news outlets for the Press Information Department to issue new accreditation cards.
The statement added that temporary daily access cards will be issued by respective ministries for any press events.
No journalist's press accreditation card has been cancelled due to the decision to restrict access to the Bangladesh Secretariat following the recent fire, Abul Kalam Azad Majumder, the deputy press secretary of the chief adviser, has said in a Facebook post today (28 December).
"Some people ask the government to be tough and then create a ruckus when it becomes even slightly tough. It's important to stop this double standard. This double standard has started again regarding the restriction on journalists' access to the secretariat," Azad said.
"This decision to restrict access is very temporary," he added.
"One thing needs to be clarified here. No journalist's accreditation card has been cancelled due to this decision. Only its use within the secretariat has been restricted. And that too for a very short time," wrote Azad.
Mentioning temporary passes will be issued, when necessary, he said the government has decided to review all existing press accreditation cards and will invite applications from all local and international media for issuance of new accreditation cards.
"Those spreading rumours that the investigation will be conducted by keeping journalists away are gravely mistaken. We believe that journalists will also understand the matter and cooperate with the government in this ongoing situation," he added.
