Newspaper office attacked in Khulna for referring to Hasina as 'prime minister'
The attack took place around 8:00pm at the office of Dainik Desh Sangjog, operated from a rented space, located in the Chhoto Mirzapur area of the city
A local newspaper office in Khulna came under attack tonight (8 May) after it published a news report referring to Sheikh Hasina as the "prime minister".
The attack took place around 8:00pm at the office of Dainik Desh Sangjog, operated from a rented space, located in the Chhoto Mirzapur area of the city. No journalists or staff were present at the time of the incident.
"The attack happened shortly after dusk. Some documents and furniture were also burned," Md Jamal, the landlord of the building, told The Business Standard.
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Confirming the matter, Khulna Sadar Police Station Officer-in-Charge (OC) Hawladar Sanowar Hossain said, "After receiving the report, police extinguished the fire and have since been deployed to prevent further untoward incidents."
In the newspaper's today's edition, it published a report titled "Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and AL Leaders Mourn the Death of Kazi Enayet" on the front page, which quickly sparked criticism on social media for using the title "prime minister" for Sheikh Hasina.
In response to the backlash, the Editor Md Munshi Mahbub Alam Sohag issued an apology.
In a statement, the editorial board explained that the press release from the Awami League was mistakenly published without editing, which included Sheikh Hasina's name prefixed with "prime minister" and titles like "MP" for other leaders.
"This was an unintended editorial oversight," the statement read. "The editorial team sincerely apologises for this error. The shift in-charge of the news desk has been relieved of their duties, and the erroneous content has been formally retracted."
According to sources, the editor is the office secretary of the Khulna Metropolitan Awami League. He was previously arrested in connection with several cases following the fall of the Sheikh Hasina government on 5 August and is currently out on bail and reportedly in hiding.
The newspaper has since been run by a group of local journalists.
