Bangladesh's Top Newspaper Shuts Ops After Office Set On Fire By Protesters
The newspaper published a note "to the readers" citing massive attacks as the reason behind temporary closure and disruption to its services.
· NDTVNew Delhi:
Bangladesh's leading newspaper, Prothom Alo, has suspended its print and online operations after the protesters set its office in Dhaka on fire Thursday night. The newspaper published a note "to the readers" citing massive attacks as the reason behind temporary closure and disruption to its services.
"As the office of Prothom Alo was subjected to massive attacks, vandalism and arson last night, it was not possible to continue its normal operations. Therefore, the printed version of Prothom Alo could not be published today. Its online portal is also temporarily closed," the letter to the readers read.
Apologising to its readers, the newspaper assured that it will resume publication at the earliest.
"We express our sincere apologies to our readers for this. We will restore the damaged technical system as soon as possible and resume publication of Prothom Alo online and in the newspaper. We seek the cooperation of our readers in this regard," it added.
The Daily Star, another leading daily whose office was also set on fire, has suspended its operations for the time being, as reported by The Business Standard.
The Business Standard was unable to print the city edition for Friday as the press was shut down due to security concerns, it added.
Protesters Burn Prothom Alo, The Daily Star Offices
The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old youth leader, ignited fresh protests in Bangladesh on Thursday night. Protesters attacked the office of Prothom Alo before setting the building on fire around midnight.
"Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building," a witness said, adding that the protesters then set The Daily Star office on fire following the vandalism of a Prothom Alo building.
A phone call from outside warned staff that a crowd was moving towards The Daily Star premises, a journalist told bdnews24. The newsroom staff tried to move downstairs but the mob had begun vandalising the ground and first floors of the office building before setting it on fire.
The night shift staff reportedly moved to the terrace to save their lives. At least 25 journalists of The Daily Star were rescued over four hours after the mob attack on the office building in Dhaka's Kawran Bazar, reported bdnews24.
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