As the latest development in the neighbouring state of Bangladesh that recently underwent a major shift in its political landscape owing to massive anti-government protests, at least 70 unidentified men armed with hockey sticks and batons on Monday vandalised the office of a media group.
As per reports, the office of the East West Media Group, a subsidiary of the Bashundhara Group, in the Bashundhara Residential Area in Dhaka was vandalised while a female journalist was assaulted before she was rescued by her colleagues. She sustained minor injuries.
Commenting on the incident, Enamul Haque Chowdhury, Editor of The Daily Sun, a publication of the East West Media Group said, the attack continued for about 20 minutes.
The incident reportedly damaged 11 parked vehicles and vandalised the Radio Capital office, apparently thinking it was Channel 24 office, owned by our East -West Group.
The Daily Sun and the Kaler Kantha office were also partly damaged but no one inside was injured.
The media complex houses two Bangla dailies, Kaler Kantho and Bangladesh Pratidin; an English daily, Daily Sun; an online news portal, banglanews24.com; a television news channel, News 24, and T Sports, a Bengali-language sports television channel.
East West Media Group PLC is a media conglomerate in Bangladesh and a subsidiary of Bashundhara Group.
BNP criticises attack
Strongly condemning the attack, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) termed it a cowardly move on the East-West Media Group.
According to the party's official statement, a group of miscreants attacked the East-West Media Group after storming into its Bhaban at Bashundhara Residential Area with hockey sticks, causing damage to equipment and machines, including computers and ACs.
It said the heinous attack was carried out by miscreants under an evil purpose and conspiracy.
Unrest in Bangladesh
Bangladesh's political scenario underwent a major shift following the resignation of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who fled to India on August 5 following massive protests against her government over a controversial quota system in government jobs.
Over 230 people were killed in the incidents of violence that erupted across the country following the fall of the Hasina-led Awami League government, taking the death toll to more than 600 since the massive protest by students first started in mid-July.
An interim government was formed after the fall of the Hasina-led government, and 84-year-old Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus was named its Chief Adviser.
