Dhaka: After major violence erupted on the streets of Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh following the death of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, accounts of the harrowing ordeal of journalist who had a narrow escape surfaced in the media. A journalist trapped on the rooftop of The Daily Star—one of the two media houses that were attacked— recounted the harrowing ordeal to BD News24.
According to the journalist, a warning call alerted staff that the mob was approaching The Daily Star building after attacking Prothom Alo, another leading Bangladeshi media house.
“We were lucky — we narrowly escaped a major disaster today. I don’t know where this country is headed,” the journalist told BD News24.
But the mob had reached the ground floor of the building even before the Daily Star journalists could evacuate. The mob reportedly vandalised the office and set parts of the building on fire.
Amid thick smoke, a group of journalists sought refuge on the 10th-floor rooftop, the report added.
“There were 28 of us on the roof, all gripped by intense anxiety and fear,” the journalist said. A canteen worker attempted to climb down using an external fire-exit ladder but was caught and beaten by the mob, the report quoting the journalist states. This frightened the trapped journalists and deterred them from following the canteen worker’s path.
Firefighters extinguished the blaze on the lower floors, the BD News24 report states. Four firefighters rescued the trapped journalists from the rooftop.
The attackers had even managed to reach the roof and were banging on the door. The journalists barricaded the door with plant tubs.
Zyma Islam, a Daily Star reporter, wrote on Facebook, “I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke.”
Eventually, Army personnel opened a staircase exit, allowing staff to escape via the rear fire-exit staircase around 3:45 am. By early Friday, firefighters had brought the blaze under control.
Meanwhile, protests in Bangladesh reportedly intensified with continued attacks at number 32 Dhanmondi, the residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, the father of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
According to reports, the residence—which had already been partially demolished—was further vandalised. A video shared by ANI news agency on X shows intruders at the remaining parts of the historic house.
A poster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina at the site was also set on fire, ANI reported.
