In the aftermath of Usman Hadi's death, chaos erupted as rioters stormed media establishments in Bangladesh. They set fire to the office of the English daily, 'The Daily Star', leaving dozens of journalists trapped on the rooftop for three torturous hours. It felt like a brush with death for those journalists.
'The Daily Star' office now lies in ruins, consumed by flames. The rioters also torched the office of another newspaper, 'Prothom Alo'.
The assault took place at the newspaper's Karwan Bazar office, subsequently leading to havoc and arson in the adjacent Prothom Alo building. According to one journalist, a phone call warned staff that a mob was approaching 'The Daily Star' premises.
28 Journalists Trapped on the 9th Floor, Flames Raging Below
Staff in the newsroom initially attempted to head downstairs, but by then, a crowd had already reached the lower floors, vandalizing and setting parts of the building on fire.
As reported on BDNews24, the full account of the violence is chronicled on Bangladeshi platforms. As smoke engulfed the lower office areas, escaping became impossible for the journalists.
A group of them retreated to the rooftop of the 9th floor. Among them, a journalist noted that 28 people were present.
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Shortly thereafter, a canteen worker dared to descend using an external fire-escape but was caught and beaten by the crowd upon reaching the ground. This incident deterred others from attempting the same escape.
Ladder access was later provided by fire fighters to extinguish the fire on the lower floors. Although the option to go down was present, the journalists chose to stay put owing to ongoing vandalism below. They locked the roof door as a precaution.
Rioters Attempt to Venture Upstairs
Fire service personnel endeavored to calm them, assuring journalists that army personnel stood guard outside. Yet panic surged again as several attackers ascended to the roof and began banging on the door, sparking fear among the trapped group.
In their bid for safety, journalists barricaded the door using flower pots found on the roof.
Later, Nurul Kabir, Editor of New Age and President of the Editors' Council, along with photographer Shahidul Alam, attempted to pacify the crowd outside the building. Nurul Kabir was subsequently mishandled by the mob.
Journalists later recounted how military forces cleared a path up one of the stairways, which the attackers exploited to invade and loot the building.
We Were Fortunate...
The trapped staff of 'The Daily Star', ensnared within the building and on the roof, were eventually led down using fire exit stairways and exited through the back of the building. One journalist remarked, "We were fortunate. We narrowly escaped a major catastrophe. The country’s future seems uncertain."
Following the events, 'The Daily Star' newsroom was left in ashes, prompting the group to temporarily halt publication.
Source: aajtak
Meanwhile, after Usman Hadi's death, Bangladesh’s chief administrator, Mohammad Yunus addressed the nation that night.
Mohammad Yunus assured, "All perpetrators involved in this brutal murder will face justice and will receive the maximum penalty without any leniency."
Yunus continued, "Let me reaffirm: Usman Hadi was an adversary of defeated forces, fascist terrorists. The heinous attempts to muzzle his voice and intimidate revolutionaries will utterly fail. No terror, no bloodshed can halt this country’s democratic advance."
It’s worth noting that on December 12, Inqilab Manch’s leader Usman Hadi was shot by unknown gunmen. He was transported to Singapore for superior treatment, where he ultimately passed away.
