Why didn't poice intervene during attacks on Prothom Alo, Daily Star offices? DMP explains

“Given how big this incident was, I would say it is an achievement that it was handled without any casualties,” says a DMP official

Police have defended their response to attacks on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, saying they refrained from forceful action to avoid loss of life.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Additional Commissioner for Crime and Operations SN Md Nazrul Islam said officers chose not to intervene aggressively on the night of the attacks because doing so could have resulted in fatalities.

“The reason we could not go into action there was to ensure that no human life was lost,” he told a press conference in Dhaka on Monday.

“Given how big this incident was, I would say it is an achievement that it was handled without any casualties.”

“Property damage can be compensated, but when a human life is lost, it cannot be brought back at any cost,” he said. “That is why we did not go into action.”

Nazrul also announced that 17 people had been arrested in connection with the attacks. Police have identified 31 suspects so far by analysing video footage, according to him.

Those arrested include Md Naim, Md Akash Ahmed Sagar, Md Abdul Ahad, Md Biplob, Md Nazrul Islam Minhaj, Md Jahangir, Md Sohel Rana, Md Hasan, Russell alias Shakil, Md Abdul Barek Sheikh Alamin, Rashedul Islam, Shafikul Islam, Md Pranto alias Faisal Ahmed Pranto, Abul Qasem, Raju Hossain and Md Saidur Rahman.

Asked whether the suspects had political affiliations, Nazrul said police were not focusing on that aspect.

“I am not looking for political affiliation. They are criminals. They violated the law and took the law into their own hands. They will be tried under Bangladesh’s existing laws and judicial system, regardless of which party or ideology they belong to.”

Responding to questions about the police’s ability to prevent mob violence, he said officers were capable but could not control every situation at all times.

“In the Karwan Bazar incident, there were other underlying factors. If we had taken action there, shots would have been fired and two or four people might have died.”

He added that police would struggle to operate if officers themselves were killed.

“If two or four police officers had been killed that day, it would have been extremely difficult to move forward,” he said, noting that the force had only recently recovered from the "trauma" they experienced during last year's July Uprising and that national elections were approaching.

“The maximum action could have gone as far as firing shots, but we tried to avoid that,” he said.

"There were around 4,000 to 5,000 people at the scene. If we had gone into action with 50 to 100 police personnel, there was a strong possibility of casualties on both sides,” he said.

He said police decisions depended on time, place and circumstances, and that officers should not simply open fire.

Asked when police arrived at Karwan Bazar, he said officers were already present before the attacks began and tried to protect the premises.

“Police resisted, but could not stop them. At one point, police even pleaded with them not to carry out the attack. But the situation was not conducive to taking stronger action.”

He added that the conditions were also not suitable for deploying tear gas or sound grenades.

Nazrul said that if police received advance intelligence in similar situations, preventive measures would be taken.

“If we receive advance information, we will definitely take measures,” he said, adding that police were working alongside the Rapid Action Battalion, Border Guard Bangladesh and the Army.

Asked about alleged online incitement ahead of the attacks, he said a case had been filed incorporating multiple laws, including the Penal Code, the Special Powers Act, the Cyber Security Act and the Anti-Terrorism Act.

Addressing concerns about further attacks on media outlets, he said police had no such information at present but would act if threats emerged.

He also confirmed that cases had been filed over attacks on cultural organisations Chhayanaut and Udichi, and said details would be shared later.

The violence on Dec 18 followed news that Inqilab Moncho Convenor Sharif Osman bin Hadi, who was shot in Dhaka on Dec 12, had died at a hospital in Singapore. Protests began with a blockade at Shahbagh before groups attacked the Karwan Bazar offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, setting parts of the buildings on fire.

Later, Chhayanaut’s premises in Dhanmondi were vandalised and torched, and the following day the Udichi office was also set ablaze.