Prothom Alo attack: 8 arrested placed on 2-day remand
On the night of 18 December, around 11:15pm, a group of 20–30 unidentified individuals armed with domestic weapons, sticks, and incendiary materials attempted to attack the Prothom Alo office.
A court has ordered that eight accused arrested in a case filed over the attack, arson, and looting at the office of national daily Prothom Alo in Karwan Bazar of the capital be placed on a two-day remand.
The order was passed today (8 January) after a hearing in the court of Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Hasan Shahadat, confirmed Public prosecutor Shamshud Doha Sumon.
Those sent on remand are Md Naim Islam, 25, Md Saidur Rahman, 25, Abul Kashem, 33, Md Pranto Sikder, 21, Md Raju Ahmed, 33, Md Sagar Islam, 37, Md Jahangir, 28, and Md Hasan, 22.
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The investigation officer of the case, Inspector Abdul Hannan of Tejgaon Police Station, applied for a seven-day remand on 23 December. Later, on 28 December, Sub-Inspector Tridip Barua of the Detective Branch was assigned as the investigating officer of the case.
In the remand application, the investigating officer stated that during the investigation, based on questioning people of the area and reliable sources, and on the basis of specific information, the accused were arrested through raids conducted at multiple locations. Tk50,000 in looted cash was recovered from detainee Md Naim Islam, 25, along with one refrigerator and one LED television purchased with looted money, which were seized. Information has also been found indicating that the other accused were present at the scene at the time of the incident, carried out acts of sabotage, called for committing the crime through various media, provided instructions for criminal activities online, and engaged in provocative activities.
The application further stated that, in order to ensure justice for the complainant and uphold the image of the state, collect the names and addresses of other accused involved in the incident, identify and arrest them, identify those who instigated and aided the crime, and recover looted goods, cash, and other stolen property, it is essential to interrogate the accused in police custody for seven days.
Meanwhile, defence lawyers sought bail for the accused by requesting cancellation of the remand, while the prosecution opposed the plea. After hearing both sides, the court ordered two days' remand for each of the accused.
On the night of 18 December, around 11:15pm, a group of 20–30 unidentified individuals armed with domestic weapons, sticks, and incendiary materials attempted to attack the Prothom Alo office. On-duty police prevented the direct attack. Failing to breach the security, the assailants gathered outside, chanting provocative slogans to incite public unrest. The assailants also called other accomplices to join the site.
A police report detailed that the assailants physically assaulted employees inside the building, vandalised furniture, and looted various items. They broke the glass in front of the building, threw sofas, tables, chairs, and other office equipment from the upper floors, and set them on fire in piles. The attackers deliberately created panic among the public, disrupting the newspaper's operations.
In addition, the assailants targeted the newspaper's equipment and assets, including more than 150 computers and laptops, valued at approximately Tk1.75 crore, as well as Tk75 lakh kept in various lockers. They also looted books and other materials from Prothoma Prakashan's sales outlet on the ground floor. The attackers set fire with the intent to harm journalists and staff and destroy the building.
The fire damaged critical infrastructure, including the company's servers, accounting records, negotiable instruments, insurance documents, contracts, official papers, archival data, and personal belongings of employees. CCTV cameras and NDRs were deliberately destroyed to eliminate evidence of the attack.
On the same night, a similar attack was carried out in the office of The Daily Star.
A total of 31 accused were arrested and 29 sent to jail in two separate cases filed over the attacks at Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
