“It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh,” the English language Daily Star said in a statement.
For the first time in 35 years, The Daily Star could not publish its print edition on Friday and will be “inoperable for a while”, consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told the BBC.
“Twenty-eight of our colleagues were trapped in the rooftop of the building for hours… They were gasping for fresh air,” Ahmed said. “They were rescued only after additional military reinforcement came.”
No one has been seriously injured, but large parts of the buildings were completely charred when BBC Bangla visited on Friday. Smoke was still seen coming out of Prothom Alo’s building.
The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus condemned the violence, vowing to hand perpetrators “full justice”.
“Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself,” it said in a statement on Friday.
The country is making a “historic democratic transition”, it said, which must not be derailed by “those few who thrive on chaos and reject peace.”
Bangladesh is scheduled to hold elections next February, the first since Hasina’s ousting.
It is unclear why the hundreds of protesters targeted The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, which have long been regarded as secular and progressive. Because of that, they often came under fire during Hasina’s administration.
However, since the July 2024 uprising, the two newspapers have maintained their critical stance on some of the interim government’s policies, which may have angered supporters of Yunus’ administration.
Other prominent buildings, including the home of the country’s first president Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, who was Hasina’s father, were also vandalised and set on fire on Thursday.
