CPJ for probe to protests outside The Daily Star, Prothom Alo offices, vandalism at Prothom Alo Rajshahi office

The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) called for a swift investigation into protests in front of the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in Dhaka, as well as vandalism at the office of Prothom Alo in Rajshahi.

“CPJ calls for a swift investigation into the threats of violence against the staff of @ProthomAlo and @dailystarnews newspapers, as well as the vandalization of the Prothom Alo office in Rajshahi city on Monday. While peaceful protest must be protected, journalists must not face violence and intimidation for their work,” the CPJ Asia said in X handle on Tuesday.

The US-based CPJ Asia also reposted a statement of Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media.

In the statement, the BJIM “expresses profound concern over the recent protest rallies held outside the offices of two national newspapers in Dhaka and Chittagong. BJIM is particularly troubled by the implications for the safety and security of journalists working at Prothom Alo and Daily Star.”

Recently, a certain quarter had made inciting statements and negative propaganda against Prothom Alo on social media platforms.

A faction also announced on 25 October to lay siege to Prothom Alo and several other media outlets, but they did not gather on that day in the wake of huge backlashes, as well as firm positions of law enforcement agencies.

They them gathered outside the Prothom Alo office in the capital’s Karwan Bazar on 21, 23 and 24 November. Law enforcement agencies, however, dispersed them on the evening of 24 October. Police also fired tear shells and sound grenades to quell the situation.

A group of people also tried to create chaos in front of the Prothom Alo office on Monday, 25 November.

Prothom Alo offices in Rajshahi and Bogura came under attacks on the same day where the office signboards were vandalised and torched.

Besides, those people also inveighed, demonstrated against and threatened the workers of Prothom Alo in Chattogram, Sylhet, Barishal, Chandpur, Munshiganj and Jahangirnagar University.