An unruly mob incited by ex-journalist Elias Hossain on Thursday attacked the office building of The Daily Star, Bangladesh’s leading English-language daily, and later set it on fire, creating panic in the area in the aftermath of the death of Sharigf Osman Hadi, a frontliner in the July Uprising who was shot on December 12.

According to the Fire Service and Civil Defence Headquarters, duty officer Md Shahjahan said they received information about the fire at around 12:40am, following which a fire service unit was dispatched to the scene to extinguish the blaze.

Until the filing of this report, efforts were underway to bring the fire under control.

Earlier, soon after the attack was launched by the mob, members of law enforcement agencies—particularly personnel of the Bangladesh Army—reached the spot and took position to restore order.

After the arrival of the fire service vehicle, firefighters began operations to douse the flames. Meanwhile, the disorderly crowd also set fire on the adjacent road, further worsening the situation. Army personnel later assisted the fire service in extinguishing the fires.

No immediate information was available regarding the extent of damage.

Soon after the news broke that Osman Hadi, spokesman of Inqilab Moncho, had passed away, Elias Hossain, who commands a huge following on social media,
posted on Facebook instructing his followers to set fire to the offices of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo. Prothom Alo was set on fire first. Elias then posted asking his followers to do the same at Daily Star, and the crowd moved there in line with his instructions.