Prothom Alo, The Daily Star offices vandalised, set on fire; all trapped staff evacuated
Firefighters brought the trapped The Daily Star employees down with the help of a crane
Angry protesters set The Daily Star office near Farmgate on fire in the early hours of Friday (19 December), following the vandalism and torching of a Prothom Alo building at Karwan Bazar, as unrest over the death of Inqilab Mancha Spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi escalated late on Thursday night.
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Firefighters brought The Daily Star blaze under control at 1:40am, with two units from Tejgaon Fire Station on the scene, said Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters Inspector Anwarul Islam.
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All The Daily Star staff have been successfully evacuated to a safe place by 4:30am, said reporter Mahmud Hasan.
"Thanks to the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service. Special thanks to an army major whose valor today matched that of 'Major Rana,' the iconic fictional hero from Masud Rana series created by Kazi Anwar Hossain, for leading the evacuation operation," Mahmud wrote in a Facebook post.
Meanwhile, assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Kazi Nazmuzzaman said the fire was brought under control at 3:48am.
"There is no fire now. There is smoke because the upper ceiling has collapsed, and there are electrical wires," he said.
When asked whether anyone was trapped inside, he said, "We have not received any information about anyone being trapped inside."
NCP leaders Nahid Islam, Nasiruddin Patwari, and Samatha Sharmin, and former information adviser Mahfuj Alam, among others, visited the Daily Star office around 4am.
A section of the crowd has looted whatever they could, including CPUs, monitors, and chairs from The Daily Star office.
Renowned photographer Shahidul Alam, accompanied by others, also visited the scene, which is under heavy security presence at the moment.
Protesters remain gathered in front of The Daily Star office, with some seen entering the building alongside army personnel around 2:40am.
Members of the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) have arrived on the scene after 3am, and members of the army arrived at around 12:35am to control the situation. After RAB's arrival, the army personnel on-scene gave the protesters a 20-minute ultimatum to disperse.
Traffic begun moving again on the road in front of The Daily Star office around 3:50am.
At least 20 employees were initially trapped on the roof of the Daily Star building. With several others reportedly trapped in different floors.
Meanwhile, a fire service crane was deployed at The Daily Star building at around 1:40am to rescue the media workers trapped on the rooftop. By 2:30am, those employees were rescued.
Earlier, around 12:15am, the protesters reached The Daily Star office at Farmgate. They smashed glass panels, dragged out chairs, tables, and papers, and set them on fire while chanting slogans including "Naray-e-Takbir" and "Allahu Akbar."
"There is too much smoke in the building. Firefighters are struggling to come up using the stairs amid heavy smoke. It's pretty tough to breathe even up here. We are breathing through handkerchiefs and other articles of clothing," Subrata Roy, a sub-editor stuck with colleagues on The Daily Star's rooftop, told TBS over the phone.
Meanwhile, an agitated crowd gathered in front of the building, accompanied by another protest procession.
"The fire is spreading rapidly in The Daily Star office. Fire service vehicles are unable to move from Farmgate due to fear of the protesters and are seeking protection from the army and police. Many of us are still trapped inside," said reporter Tanjila Tasnim.
"All of my colleagues are on the rooftop. They can't breathe because of the smoke. Please pray for us," said Abdullah Md Abbas, a reporter at Daily Star.
Another Daily Star reporter Ahmed Deepto wrote on Facebook, "Such late-night duty should never come to anyone's life. I am trapped on the roof, please forgive me. The building is on fire, and I may not make it out."
Earlier, a group of people launched an attack on a building of Bangla daily Prothom Alo at the capital's Karwan Bazar, vandalising multiple floors, and started a fire in front of the building.
The incident took place around Thursday midnight, multiple employees of the newspaper confirmed to The Business Standard over the phone, adding that some staff members were still trapped inside the office.
The group of people is yet to be identified. However, the group was seen going to Prothom Alo office from Shahbagh, where multiple organisations had gathered to protest after the news of Inqilab Mancha Spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi's death spread late on Thursday night (18 December).
Hundreds of demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11pm and later surrounded the building.
Dozens of youths then climbed the four-story building and vandalised the floors.
Soon after, the demonstrators piled up documents, papers, and furniture from the Prothom Alo office in front of the building and set them on fire.
"A few of us are trapped inside. A Prothom Alo building in Karwan Bazar is under attack and being vandalised. They are now setting it on fire," Prothom Alo journalist Abul Hasnat told TBS.
