Attacks on Prothom Alo, Daily Star unprecedented since 1971: Anu Muhammad

Economist and activist Professor Anu Muhammad has said the horrific attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and Chhayanaut represent an unprecedented level of violence not seen since the Liberation War of 1971, criticising the government's "astonishing silence" during the incidents.

He made the remarks yesterday at a press conference held at the National Press Club, organised under the banner of civil society to protest the killing of Inqilab Mancha Spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi and a series of attacks on journalists, cultural organisations and institutions.

Present at the conference were photographer Shahidul Alam, lawyer and human rights activist Sara Hossain, former member of the Constitution Reform Commission Firoz Ahmed, Ganosamhati Andolon leader Taslima Akhtar, and lawyers Sara Hossain and Manzur-al-Matin.

At a press conference held at the National Press Club, organised under the banner of civil society/Prothom Alo

Anu said that the manner in which Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, and Chhayanaut were attacked constitutes a terrifying experience that was unimaginable after the struggle against autocracy and the mass uprising. 

Terming the attacks on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, Chhayanaut, and Udichi not accidental incidents, he said, "There is an institution called the government, yet there is no indication of how decisions are being made."

He particularly criticised the state response: "The government's silence during these attacks was astonishing. The law enforcement agencies were inactive when these institutions were attacked. What were the intelligence agencies doing?"

Citing the attack on New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, Anu Muhammad noted that the editor was attacked under the guise of being an "Awami League stooge," yet Kabir has been fighting against autocracy through his writing and activism since the 1980s.

Regarding the assassination of Hadi, he noted that citizens had released substantial information regarding the perpetrators on social media before the government took action. "Despite this information coming out immediately after the attack on Hadi, how did the killer manage to flee the country? Although the government spoke much about Hadi's killing, their activity in catching the murderer was lacking," he said.

Manzur-al-Matin presented six demands on behalf of civil society. These are a transparent investigation into Osman Hadi's murder and the arrest of those involved; justice for attacks on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star, Chhayanaut, Nalanda School, Dhanmondi-32 and the killing of Dipu Chandra Das in Bhaluka, Mymensingh; ensuring public safety ahead of the election; the resignation of the home affairs adviser; punishment of instigators at home and abroad; and steps to prevent instability following Hadi's funeral.

Shahidul Alam said disagreements with a newspaper could never justify shutting it down. "I may disagree with The Daily Star on many issues, but that does not mean the paper should be attacked or closed," he said, adding that those who went to protect the newspaper during the incident were not affiliated with it but acted in protest against injustice.

Sara Hossain said Meta shut down at least one Facebook account following complaints filed both at home and abroad. "This should have happened much earlier," she said, adding that public resistance was growing and noting that seven people had already been arrested in connection with the Bhaluka incident.