They Wanted to Burn and Kill in a Medieval Manner: Nurul Kabir
Nurul Kabir, President of the Executive Committee of the Editors’ Council and editor of New Age, commented that the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were carried out in a medieval manner. He himself was also a victim of harassment on the day of the incident.
Nurul Kabir said that such attacks send a dangerous message not only to the media but to the entire society and democratic system.
He made the remarks at a protest meeting held on Monday at a hotel in the capital. The meeting was jointly organised by the Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) to protest the ongoing ‘mob violence’ in the country.
Nurul Kabir said, “They (the attackers) wanted to burn and kill in a medieval way. While everyone was working in the office, fire was set around. By preventing the fire service from accessing the scene, the group wanted to surround and burn those who disagreed with them, in a medieval manner.”
He added that if any society tolerates such incidents and does not stand against them, not only individual organisations but the entire social system will head towards destruction.
At the protest meeting, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said, “I am 78 years old. I have struggled all my life to see an independent and sovereign Bangladesh. The Bangladesh I see today is not the Bangladesh I ever dreamed of. I do not know which Bangladesh we are standing in at this moment.”
He further stated that the attack was not just on Prothom Alo and The Daily Star but on democracy itself. He said, “The rights to think independently and to speak freely have been attacked. The July Movement, which was a struggle to establish the rights of the people of this country, has been undermined. Today, that very space is under attack. Therefore, my appeal is that now is the time for all democracy-loving people, beyond political thoughts or parties, to unite.”
