All identified individuals will face legal action: Press Secretary

Shafiqul Alam, Press Secretary to the Chief Adviser, has stated that 31 people have been arrested so far in connection with the attacks and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.

He added that everyone else who is identified in connection with the incident will be brought under the law.

The Press Secretary made these remarks on Wednesday afternoon while responding to journalists’ questions at a press conference held at the Foreign Service Academy in the capital.

The conference was organised to announce the decisions of the Interim Government’s Advisory Council meeting held earlier in the day. Apart from the meeting’s decisions, journalists also asked the Press Secretary questions about other recent events.

Late Thursday night, the country’s leading newspaper Prothom Alo became the target of a deliberate and organised attack by extremist militants. After vandalising and looting, the attackers set fire to the Prothom Alo office. On the same night, the Daily Star office was also vandalised and looted before being set on fire. When journalists went to the Daily Star office to protect staff, Nurul Kabir, President of the Editors’ Council, was harassed. Many have described the incident as a “dark day for the media” and have expressed strong protest and condemnation.

At a press conference, in response to a question about the attacks on Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam said that 31 people have been arrested in connection with the incidents.

He added that arrests were made after examining videos and photos, and that substantial evidence has been collected and cases filed. Everyone else who can be identified will also be brought under the law.

Responding to a question about the investigation into the murder of Shahid Sharif Osman Bin Hadi of the Inqilab Moncho and the arrest of the accused, the Press Secretary said that the government is giving the highest priority to the case and that all relevant security agencies are working on it.

Press Secretary Shafiqul Alam stated that the Advisory Council meeting discussed several issues, including the brutal killing of a garment worker named Dipu Chandra Das in Valuka, Mymensingh, over allegations of religious defamation, in which he was beaten to death and later hanged from a tree and set on fire.

He said that Education Adviser CR Abrar visited Dipu Chandra Das’s home and assured the family that the entire government stands with them. All necessary measures will be taken. The law adviser also stated that the case will be tried under the Speedy Trial Tribunal.