DHAKA: A violent mob attacked the offices of The Daily Star late on Thursday, trapping about 28 reporters and staff on the building’s rooftop amid thick smoke and sounds of vandalism before they were rescued by the army.

The ordeal began around midnight as the newsroom staff rushed to meet the first edition deadline. A reporter received repeated phone calls warning that a mob, which had been vandalising another newspaper office nearby, was moving toward their building.

He immediately alerted his colleagues.

“The mob may come towards our office at any moment,” he told them.

Staff quickly shut down computers and prepared to evacuate. As they took the lift down to the second floor, they were met with loud crashing sounds from below, forcing them back upstairs in a panic.

“From the fourth floor, the sounds were much clearer and sharper,” the reporter said. “That’s when we realised we had no option left.”

Fearing the mob had breached the building, the group abandoned the idea of leaving and fled to the rooftop.

From there, they could hear distant shouts and the continuing sounds of destruction but could not see what was happening in front of the building. Staff used their phones to call contacts and colleagues to understand the situation unfolding below.

Soon, the situation worsened dramatically.

“Suddenly, thick black smoke covered the rooftop. Everything turned dark,” the reporter said.

The smoke, rising through the building, made it difficult to breathe, causing eyes to burn and throats to tighten. The group moved from one corner of the rooftop to another, searching for spots where the air was clearer. There was no water left on the rooftop to wash their faces.

“One of my colleagues sat on the floor and started crying while talking to his parents on the phone,” the reporter recalled.

At one point, the Fire Service arrived with a crane, and one staff member was taken down. However, colleagues who were outside called to warn that descending was extremely risky, as the mob remained active on the street.

“We asked the Fire Service not to take us down by crane because of the risk,” he said. “They agreed.”

As the crane moved away, fear deepened that the attackers might find a way onto the roof.

The group’s rescue came after a knock on the rooftop door. A man identified himself as an army officer.

“We couldn’t trust him at first,” the reporter said. “We took time to verify before opening the door.”

After confirming his identity, they opened the door. The officer assured them they would be rescued and led them silently down the stairwell.

“Our bodies were shaking with fear,” the reporter said. “We were told not to turn on our phone lights and not to make any noise.” Then they left the office.

Published in Dawn, December 20th, 2025