At least 17 suspects have so far been arrested in connection with the attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, police said.
DMP Additional Police Commissioner (Crime and Ops) SN Md Nazrul Islam confirmed this during a press briefing at the DMP Media Centre on Monday noon.
He also said that police refrained from taking action during the attacks on the Prothom Alo and The Daily Star offices, fearing large‑scale violence.
“There was no situation in which to use tear shells or sound grenades. There was a risk of police casualties. Suddenly, attacks were carried out on the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Since we had prior information, we controlled the gatherings at the Jatiya Sangsad premises and the rally at Shahbagh. No untoward incident occurred there,” he added.
In response to a question about whether legal action is being taken against specific individuals inciting mob violence and arson, police official Nazrul said, “Due to information technology, any false information can now be spread and made viral. A certain group is using this incitement to destabilise the situation and take advantage of it to commit vandalism.”
He urged the media to act responsibly in preventing the spread of false and misleading information.
At the briefing, he further said that 31 suspects had been identified through footage. However, 17 people have been arrested so far.
Regarding the cases, he said that although Prothom Alo had filed a case, The Daily Star had not. He added that The Daily Star will file a case after assessing the extent of the damage.
