The night of 18 December 2025, should have been a time for the city to slowly enter the year-end winter period marked by languorous reflection and pre-Christmas relaxation.
Instead, it turned into a dark day when media came under brutal attack.
In what can be termed a barbaric assault on freedom of expression, the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, two prominent dailies, were targeted by a mob.
They came like marauders, engaged in an orgy of destruction, vandalised, set the buildings alight, revelling in the destruction.
Thankfully, no one died although journalists were caught in the mayhem, engulfed in smoke, death staring at their faces.
In the end, the fire was doused, the perpetrators scattered and scarpered, but a deep scar left on the media landscape.
That charred building of Prothom Alo has recently been turned into an exhibition of art with the title ‘Alo’, signifying the undaunted spirit of the profession, encapsulating the resolute message: see through the dark shadow, the light never fades!
The artist Mahbubur Rahman, in his inauguration address, spoke of the haunting void that he encountered amidst the charred remains.
The darkness which engulfed me had multiple layers, one after the other, each denser, more overpowering, said the artist.
Yet, in those layers of devastation there was the light, an essence of art, the silent but relentless call for a rejuvenation, he added.
At the inauguration of the exhibition, diplomats of several countries expressed their solidarity with both the media houses, underlining their unwavering support for freedom of speech.
Michael Miller, Ambassador of the European union to Bangladesh, who had visited the charred site of Prothom Alo just two days after the horrific incident, contended: “We believe in media freedom and journalists are fearless defenders of democracy.”
Jean-Marc Séré-Charlet and Gabriel Sistiaga Ochoa de Chinchetru, the French and the Spanish Ambassador respectively, also underlined their support for freedom of the press saying liberty of press is fundamental freedom.
Echoing the sentiment of the EU Ambassador, Italian Ambassador to Bangladesh, Antonio Alessandro, observed: “Freedom of information is at the core of our values; full solidarity with Daily Star and Prothom Alo on this occasion.”
Joris van Bommel, the Dutch Ambassador to Bangladesh, pithily said ‘Free Press Unlimited’ while Sarah Cooke, the British High Commissioner observed: “We joined the media freedom coalition to condemn the shocking events which happened in December,” adding that she along other diplomats in Dhaka were here to express solidarity with the papers.
Democracy cannot happen without free press, remarked Ajit Singh the Canadian envoy while Pranay Verma, the Indian High Commissioner lauded the resilience of the newspaper saying that although it’s heartbreaking to see the destruction, it’s reassuring to see the paper rising up with such strength.
Diplomats from Singapore, USA and representatives from UN bodies also voiced their unshakeable faith in the role of media for ensuring an inclusive democratic society.
To present something grotesque, the artistic approach also needs to delve into the dark recesses of the human mind and conjure up something striking, demonic and unnerving.
Art overpowering demons
The four-storey building has a variety of art-work: paintings, installations, fusion art incorporating mangled structure, semi burnt books, destroyed office equipment. The canny application of light and shadow accentuates the aesthetic appeal, never allowing the macabre undertone to totally fade.
There are, as I feel, said one spectator, two sides to the exhibition: “One is the artistic dimension where finer senses are piqued, and the other, a secondary feeling, which silently but inexorably, creates a feeling of foreboding.”
A haunting appeal is the right word, he added.
The exhibition is presented on four floors, the accompanying tone of the art-work becoming more sinister with each floor.
Maybe that is the approach of the artist, not to present the shocking bits in the beginning but getting the audience prepared through a slow dose of the macabre, commented one visitor.
To present something grotesque, the artistic approach also needs to delve into the dark recesses of the human mind and conjure up something striking, demonic and unnerving.
In that light, there is a large sculpture of a horned figure covered in silver, no facial features, no expressions yet menacing in its malevolence.
A monster without a face, a savage without a soul!
Black figures with gas cylinders in front of them create another morbid atmosphere – an installation which captivates yet leaves a feeling of prolonged perturbation.
Over burnt items, wires and charred office equipment, hang ominous white spectres, as the back wall illuminates the line from the famous poem by Syed Shamsul Haque: Nurul Diner kotha mone pore jai, jokhon amar shopno loot hoye jae (I am reminded of Nurul Deen when my dreams are snatched from me).
Phantoms hover over the corpse of conscience!
Another line from Syed Shamsul Haque’s poem resonates: Nurul Diner kotha mone pore jae jokhon shokun neme ashe ei shonar Banglae.
The exhibition captures the horror that descended on Prothom Alo that night, but more importantly, in each of the works there is a quiet but unmistakeable appeal to all to resist demons which threaten freedom of speech and the profession of journalism.
Hurry past an art-work and you will miss it, but stay and let the feeling set in, the plea is too loud to ignore!
Any exhibition’s success depends on the lasting impact it creates on the spectator.
In the layers of total darkness, there is a path towards enlightenment, one only needs the belief to see it.
The firm conviction that despite the void, there is always a flicker of hope encapsulates the challenges faced by journalism across the world.
Monsters and beasts will be there, journalism will never be without enemies and over the course of human history, this institution has come under attack in one form or the other. Amidst all the impediments, it has never bowed and that is the ultimate message from the exhibition.
The fire intended to intimidate only becomes the fire to carry on with the battle. As French Philosopher Voltaire said: To hold a pen is to be at war!
The exhibition ‘Alo’ will be open from 19 Feb till 28 Feb, 11am-5pm.
* Towheed Feroze is a former journalist.