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 Chief Adviser's Press Wing said in a statement today (28 December).

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.

Earlier, the Ministry of Home Affairs banned entry to the Bangladesh Secretariat for all, except the secretariat staff and government employees, for an indefinite period citing "security reasons" following the recent fire in the administrative headquarters.

Even journalists with accreditation cards will not be able to enter the building until further notice, read a press statement issued yesterday (27 December).

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, the press statement said.

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 would remain active, the statement added.

On Thursday (26 December), a fire gutted several floors at Building No-7 at the secretariat, causing extensive damage.

 A firefighter named Shoyanur Jaman Noyon lost his life while trying to extinguish the fire. Around 200 people, including firefighters, brought the blaze under control after trying for several hours.