Police arrest a suspect in Chhayanaut arson and vandalism case

Dhaka Metropolitan Police have arrested a suspect in connection with the arson and vandalism at the Chhayanaut building in the capital's Dhanmondi area, officials confirmed. The case was filed on Saturday (20 December) by Chhayanaut employee Dulal Ghosh, who accused at least 350 unnamed individuals of participating in the attack.

The incident occurred late Thursday night (18 December) at around 1:40am. A group of assailants, reportedly armed with domestic weapons, broke through the security perimeter of Chhayanaut's six-story building. They vandalised the premises and set fire to the ground, fourth, and sixth floors. During the attack, security personnel Shahabuddin, Rasel Hajong, work assistant Hafizul Islam Riaz, and Swapon were assaulted, injured, and forcibly removed from the building.

Dhanmondi Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Jishanul Haque told The Business Standard that police and Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) personnel had managed to prevent further vandalism around midnight on Thursday. "The roads were dark, and there was no electricity. Most of the attackers were masked or had covered their faces, so identifying them takes time. However, we have already identified 7-8 individuals by analysing CCTV footage," he said.

According to the case statement, the attackers entered the building from the main gate and moved up to the sixth floor, deliberately setting fires and causing extensive damage. Fire services were alerted via social media and brought the blaze under control after a prolonged operation. Police and army personnel secured the premises, prompting the attackers to flee.

Chhayanaut management inspected the building the following morning and found widespread destruction. Essential documents, servers, computers, furniture, CCTV cameras, and wall-mounted artworks were damaged or destroyed. The total infrastructural loss is estimated at Tk2.2 crore.

The case statement described the attack as a premeditated attempt to destroy the nation's cultural heritage, create chaos, and destabilise the country through acts of sabotage and looting.