Press under attack: Bangladesh jails two men over violent assaults on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star
A Bangladesh court on Thursday sent two men to jail in connection with vandalism, arson and looting at the Dhaka offices of the country’s leading newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, during last week’s unrest following the death of anti-India leader Sharif Osman Hadi.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Md Jamshed Alam issued separate remand orders after police produced the accused—Swapan Mondal, 27, and Aminul Islam, 21—before the court and sought their confinement, a court official told The Daily Star.
According to police, Swapan Mondal was arrested on Wednesday for his alleged involvement in the attack on The Daily Star office, while Aminul Islam was arrested in connection with the assault on Prothom Alo’s headquarters.
Earlier, 29 people had been sent to jail in connection with the two cases, the newspaper reported.
On December 22, Mizanur Rahman, head of operations at The Daily Star, filed a case at Tejgaon Police Station against 350–400 unidentified individuals under multiple laws, including the Penal Code, Anti-Terrorism Act, Special Powers Act and Cyber Security Ordinance.
On the same day, Major (retd) Sazzadul Kabir, head of security at Prothom Alo, lodged a similar case against 400–500 unidentified people over the attack on the newspaper’s Karwan Bazar office.
For the first time since its inception, Dhaka-based Bengali daily Prothom Alo failed to publish its print edition on December 19 after a violent mob stormed its headquarters.
Hundreds of protesters, angered by the killing of radical activist Sharif Osman Hadi, ransacked the newspaper’s office and set parts of the premises on fire.
Nearby, the office of The Daily Star was also attacked, leaving several journalists trapped inside for hours as smoke engulfed the building.
IBNS
Senior Staff Reporter at Northeast Herald, covering news from Tripura and Northeast India.
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