Janakantha allegedly taken over, case filed against owners

A group of employees at the Dhaka’s Bangla daily Janakantha have declared the newspaper's editor persona non grata and formed their own editorial board. These employees were hired at various points after the fall of the Awami League government on 5 August last year.

This move came after several of them were dismissed by the newspaper’s ownership on Saturday. In response, not only did they denounce the editor, but they also filed a case against the owners at Hatirjheel Police Station in Dhaka.

Shamima A Khan, the editor and publisher of Janakantha, accused the group on Saturday night of orchestrating a "mob attack" and attempting to "illegally seize" the newspaper’s building. She named retired Major Afizur Rahman, Chief Operating Officer of Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar; Zainal Abedin Shishir, a joint convener of the National Citizens’ Party (NCP) and the paper’s planning advisor; along with several journalists allegedly linked to the BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami, as being behind the takeover attempt.

Afizur Rahman and Zainal Abedin Shishir both denied these accusations in interviews with BBC Bangla.

“The claim of a takeover is the narrative of the Awami League and Indian intelligence. We have not taken over ownership or publication rights. We’ve simply formed a board to manage the newspaper, with unanimous support from all working journalists,”  Zainal Abedin said.

Since Sunday morning, the Janakantha website no longer displays the names of the editor and publisher on its printer’s line. Instead, it now reads: “Published and printed by the editorial board on behalf of Globe Printers Ltd. and Janakantha Ltd., members of the Globe Janakantha Shilpa Paribar.”

At a rally in front of the newspaper’s building on Saturday night, a man named Mir Jasim introduced himself as a member of the new editorial board and declared, “We have declared the current editor as unwanted in her position, although she may remain as publisher. Her two sons have also been declared unwanted in Janakantha.”

Founded in 1993 by Atiqullah Khan Masud, Janakantha was once widely read and gained fame for a series titled "Shei Razakar" ("That Collaborator"), which reported on members of the anti-Liberation War paramilitary forces such as Rajakar-Al Badr and Al Shams. Over time, the paper became known for its pro-Awami League stance.

However, after the fall of the Awami League government last year, rumors spread that the newspaper had come under the influence of anti-AL groups, particularly those aligned with Jamaat-e-Islami and the NCP.

Similar shifts were reportedly observed across various print and electronic media outlets, including ownership and staff changes—some allegedly enforced through mob tactics.

According to information gathered from the newspaper’s owners, dissenting staff, and current employees, Afizur Rahman, a former DGFI officer, joined Janakantha shortly before the fall of the AL government as Chief Operating Officer. After the regime change, he allegedly recruited several individuals connected to the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP into editorial positions, including the wife of a senior BNP leader.

Editor Shamima A Khan told BBC Bangla that Afizur replaced veteran staff with new recruits and conspired to seize control of the paper.

“In August, they used the issue of red and black themes on the paper’s banner to sabotage the publication. They edited the newspaper’s template and made it appear as if we had done it,” she said.

Afizur rejected these accusations, saying he made staffing decisions to ensure the company’s “safety and sustainability.”

“There was no question of taking over the paper. These claims are baseless. Madam (the editor) has said many untrue things,” said Afizur, who served for years in DGFI under the Awami League government.

In May, a similar incident involving a “mob” and allegations of a takeover attempt occurred. Allegation of involvement of NCP’s Zainal Abedin was raised at that time, prompting his party to demand an explanation. Over time, many veteran journalists were dismissed, while others resigned voluntarily.

Shamima claimed Afizur hired people under false pretenses—sometimes without informing her—and promised they would bring investment to the paper. The dispute over using red and black in the masthead escalated in August, culminating in the dismissal of nine individuals perceived to be aligned with BNP, Jamaat, and the NCP. In retaliation, those dismissed employees announced the suspension of all operations of the newspaper, leading to a highly tense situation at the newspaper premises by Friday night. Eventually, on Saturday night, the dismissed staff, with support from leaders of the journalist union, formed an editorial board and took control of the newspaper.

“They’ve been conspiring for a long time. They sabotaged the paper themselves by changing the masthead to black. We had only changed it to red. But they used this pretext to take over the paper,” Shamima said.

Zainal Abedin, one of the dismissed individuals, told BBC Bangla that all staff involved had unanimously decided to retain their posts.

“We tried for two days to negotiate with the owners, but they didn’t show up. By blacking out the banner, they put our lives at risk. Some people in the ownership who are influenced by the Awami League and Indian intelligence did that. We’ve met with all journalist associations and decided to form an editorial board to save the newspaper. We’ve also filed a case.”

Rejecting the takeover claim, he reiterated, “We haven’t claimed ownership or publishing rights. We’ve simply formed a management board with consensus from all working journalists. There are Tk 45 million in unpaid salaries. If they won’t run the company, they should at least pay our dues.”

Shamima Khan alleged that a group of former employees caused internal disruption, which allowed Jamaat and NCP sympathisers to enter the organisation.

“They’ve banned me and my children from the premises, seized control of the building, and taken keys to three floors of the accounts department. And yet, this is our institution. They staged a mob to illegally occupy a media and corporate office. We asked the police for help, but received none,” she said.

Her son, Jishal Atiqullah Khan, added that some employees had taken control of the premises and filed a counter-case at Hatirjheel Police Station.

Afizur Rahman said that since joining in July 2024, he made professional appointments in response to the changing political environment.

“I wasn’t informed about the termination of the seven or eight employees. Tensions were high the night before last. I tried to deescalate things. The decision to use a red banner was made in consultation with Madam. I’ve been trying to fulfill my administrative duties for the past year,” he told BBC Bangla.

He denied the allegation that he orchestrated a takeover.

“Why would anyone want to seize a sinking organisation? It’s beset with debt. There’s been a psychological paranoia among some in the organisation that someone will take it over. I’ve done what I could within my capacity to stabilise things.”