Hadi’s murder: District Prothom Alo offices vandalised in Sylhet, Kushtia
The district office of the daily Prothom Alo in Kushtia was vandalised last night as a group of agitated people allegedly attacked the premises and damaged furniture and equipment.
Protests erupted in different parts of Sylhet late last night after news of Inqilab Mancha's Spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi's death spread.
Demonstrators held several small processions across the city.
During one such procession, the Sylhet regional office of the daily Prothom Alo, located in the Barutkhana area, was vandalised.
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Witnesses said protesters hurled stones at the office, shattering glass windows and damaging the signboard.
However, no one reportedly entered the office premises.
Sylhet Metropolitan Police Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) Mohammad Saiful Islam could not be reached for comment.
Meanwhile, the district office of the daily Prothom Alo in Kushtia was vandalised last night as a group of agitated people allegedly attacked the premises and damaged furniture and equipment.
The incident took place around 1:30am early Friday (19 December) at the newspaper's district office located in the Majompur area of Kushtia town.
Eyewitnesses said a group of people gathered in front of the office while chanting slogans. At one stage, they broke open the lock, entered the office, and vandalised chairs, tables, computers, and other equipment. Local residents claimed that no members of law enforcement were seen at the scene either before or after the incident.
According to locals, protest marches and demonstrations began across different parts of the town from around 10pm yesteday following the spread of news about the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Manch. Protesters reportedly set fire to several locations as part of the demonstrations. The attack on the Prothom Alo office occurred amid these protests.
Attempts to contact Prothom Alo's Kushtia correspondent, Touhidi Hasan Shiplu, were unsuccessful as he was in Dhaka at the time.
Kushtia Model Police Station Officer-in-Charge Md Kabir Hossain Matubbar said he had not received any information regarding the vandalism at the Prothom Alo office.
Meanwhile, Kushtia Superintendent of Police Mohammad Jasim Uddin told The Business Standard that the vandalism of the Prothom Alo office was "highly unfortunate," adding that the administration is taking special measures to prevent such untoward incidents in the future.
Following the incident, a sense of fear and insecurity has prevailed among local journalists in Kushtia, sources said.
