Protesters in Bangladesh escalated their demonstrations on Monday by besieging the offices of Prothom Alo, one of the country’s few remaining independent newspapers.
Around 300 demonstrators gathered at the newspaper’s headquarters in Dhaka, demanding its shutdown, while government security forces held them off. This comes a day after protesters were dispersed with tear gas while attempting to storm the building.
The protesters accused the Bengali-language daily of holding "anti-Islam" and "pro-India" biases, claims the paper's executive editor Sajjad Sharif strongly refuted. Sharif emphasized the publication’s long-standing commitment to maintaining professional journalistic standards, despite decades of facing harassment.
"These allegations are baseless, and we remain dedicated to upholding press freedom," Sharif said.
The unrest follows the recent ousting of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August after a student-led uprising. Hasina’s departure has emboldened various groups, including Islamist factions, to launch widespread protests across Bangladesh.
Monday’s demonstration against *Prothom Alo* mirrored earlier protests targeting Dhaka’s English-language newspaper, The Daily Star. Outside the capital, protesters attacked Prothom Alo’s regional office in Rajshahi and organized marches in Chittagong.
Demonstrators accused the newspapers of working to destabilize the country. "If they don’t change their current approach, they should be shut down," said Mir Farhad, a protester.
The interim government, led by Muhammad Yunus, has publicly supported media freedom. However, watchdogs report that dozens of journalists, some of whom previously supported Hasina, are now facing police investigations. At least four journalists are in custody, accused of inciting violence against protesters before Hasina’s fall.
Press freedom organizations, including Reporters Without Borders, have raised concerns about what they describe as "systematic judicial harassment" of journalists, with as many as 140 cases under investigation. The US-based Committee to Protect Journalists has urged the interim government to implement reforms to safeguard press freedom during this volatile period in the country’s history.