They do not want a free press

During the height of the language movement in 1952, two national newspapers were attacked because they opposed the movement. The Morning News, owned by Khwaja Nooruddin from the Dhaka Nawab family, supported the government and kept criticising the language movement. On February 21, 1952, police shot and killed at least three students, and more were killed the next day when police fired on protest rallies. As agitation continued, on February 22, 1952, some protestors attacked the Jubilee Press at the Johnson Road office and set it on fire. (Doinik Azad, February 22, 1952). The press printed The Morning News, which had a headline: 'Dotties Roaming Dhaka Streets' undermining the language movement.
Vernacular daily Sangbad, known as a progressive newspaper, also took an anti-movement stance and faced criticism from students and many others. Founded in 1951, the newspaper office in the Bangshal area of Dhaka was also attacked on February 22, 1952. (Page-132; Language Movement: History and Significance by Abdul Matin and Ahmed Rafique; third edition, 2005, Dhaka).
A leap forward to December, 2025. The main office of the vernacular daily Prothom Alo, along with The Daily Star, in the Kawran Bazar area of Dhaka, was attacked, damaged, and set on fire late Thursday night (December 18-19). The newspaper houses were set on fire as the news broke about the death of Inqilab Mancha spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi in Singapore. Hadi succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained during an assassination attempt on December 12. As people heard about the death, a group marched from Shahbagh to Kawran Bazar, surrounded the Prothom Alo building, and protested. At one point, some protesters with sticks and rods broke into the office, smashed most of its windows, and set it on fire. Soon after, another group went to The Daily Star building and attacked it too. They also set that building on fire. Some people in the crowd looted important documents, books, papers and other valuables from both offices, and some journalists and staff were trapped inside. They were rescued later. Because of the damage and fires, both newspapers had to stop printing on Friday. It also took a few hours to get their online news running again.
The attack on Prothom Alo and Daily Star in 2025 is not the same as the attack on The Morning News and Sangbad in 1952, however. The attacks in 1952 happened because people were frustrated and angry during the language movement, as the newspapers were against the movement. The attack this year was caused by mob violence. For months, some people have spread false stories against Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, calling them pro-Indian and anti-Islamic. They said the newspapers supported Indian interests and the Awami League. There was also a steady hate campaign against the newspapers on social media. Some people even called for the newspapers to be shut down.
Even though the newspapers played a strong role during the July mass uprising that compelled Sheikh Hasina to step down and flee to India for shelter on August 5, 2024, the people who encouraged the mob to attack ignored this. They also intentionally forgot that these two newspapers faced extensive pressure from the autocratic regime of Hasina over a decade. No doubt, these newspapers on occasions distorted facts, allegedly tilted to certain sides, and mislead people. It does not mean, some should attack and set their offices on fire.
By attacking the two top newspapers in the country and also harassing New Age editor and Editors' Council President Nurul Kabir on the spot, the mob sent a chilling message to everyone: they do not want a free press.
The government's inexcusable failure to stop the attack and punish the mob is highly disappointing. It is also dangerous, because in the name of mob attacks, vested quarters may carry out their sinister agendas. Already, a group of young people, who claim themselves as a part of the Anti-Discrimination Student Movement, have demanded removal of the Head of News at a private TV channel. They also threatened that if she was not sacked, they would burn the office like Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. All these things are an ominous sign and clearly go against the spirit of the July mass uprising.

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