Staff Correspondent
The National Editors Council (NEC) on Monday condemned a crude bomb attack on the Amar Desh press in Dhaka, calling for the arrest of those responsible and describing the incident as part of a conspiracy to undermine press freedom.
In a joint statement, NEC President and Jaijaidin Editor Shafik Rehman, Vice-President and Jugantor Editor Abdul Hai Shikder, and Treasurer and Daily Waadaa Editor Shafiqul Alam condemned the attack and urged law enforcement agencies to take immediate action against the perpetrators.
They also expressed hope that such attacks on media organisations would not recur.
The incident occurred at around 10:45pm on Sunday, when a crude bomb was thrown at the main gate of Amar Desh Publications on Love Road in Tejgaon, injuring a security guard at the newspaper's printing press. An unexploded bomb-like object was also found a short distance from the scene.
According to Amar Desh, witnesses and police sources said two people arrived on a motorcycle, threw the explosive devices and fled the scene. The explosion triggered panic in the surrounding area.
Mohammad Shahid-ur Rahman, assistant manager (administration) at Amar Desh, confirmed the incident and said the newspaper was taking legal action. A general diary (GD) has been filed with Tejgaon Industrial Area Police Station.