A Dhaka court on Monday placed Anwar Hossain on a three-day remand in connection with a case filed over the attack, vandalism, looting, and arson at the office of daily Prothom Alo.
Dhaka Metropolitan Magistrate Ariful Islam passed the order following a hearing, confirmed state lawyer Shamsudduha Suman.
Earlier, the investigating officer of the case, SI Shah Minhaj Uddin of the Detective Branch (DB) Web-Based Crime Investigation Team, produced the accused in court with a prayer for a five-day remand.
According to the remand plea, Anwar Hossain, 38, a resident of Sonapur village in Raipur upazila, Lakshmipur, is currently in jail in connection with another case. Investigations, including reviews of video footage and statements from local witnesses, have reportedly yielded significant evidence of his involvement in the attack on the newspaper’s office.
The police informed the court that the incident was fueled by incendiary social media posts shared by some of the attackers.
This led to a gathering of approximately 350 to 450 people from various parts of the capital, who eventually broke through the shutters and glass gates of the Prothom Alo office in Kawran Bazar to carry out the destruction.
Case records show that the attack began at approximately 11:30 PM on 18 December 2025, when an initial group of 20 to 30 individuals armed with local weapons gathered in front of the building. Despite police resistance, the mob created a volatile situation, eventually storming the premises.
The attackers vandalised computers, laptops, televisions, furniture, and other electronic equipment across different floors. Books were looted from the newspaper’s sales centre, while bank cheques, legal documents, VAT and tax records, and other essential institutional files were destroyed.
The police further stated that the attackers attempted to set the building on fire and smashed CCTV cameras and security equipment. They also obstructed Fire Service personnel who arrived to bring the fire under control.
The attack resulted in estimated damages of Tk32 crore, severely disrupting the media outlet’s operations. For the first time in its 27-year history, Prothom Alo was forced to suspend its printed edition for a day, while its online operations remained shut for an extended period.
During the hearing, the investigating officer told the court that the remand is necessary to uncover the motives behind the attack, identify the masterminds and instigators, arrest other unidentified suspects, and recover looted property.
