It was a bitter disappointment to see the violent attacks on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, the assault on New Age Editor and Editors' Council President Nurul Kabir, and the vandalism of the prominent cultural institution Chhayanaut, in the aftermath of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the most beloved figures of the July Uprising, and the convener of Inqilab Moncho - a socio-political and cultural platform ge founded. It was all the worse that they did it in his name, even as continuous messages from the Moncho pleaded with supporters to honour his legacy and refrain from such activity.

Prothom Alo, the country's most widely circulated Bangla daily newspaper, and The Daily Star, the leading English-language outlet, have both faced sustained threats from political, religious and cultural extremist groups in recent times. These latest attacks, unfolding just months before the national elections scheduled for February 2026, expose a deeply troubling escalation of hostility, intimidation, and violence against journalists, media outlets, and cultural practitioners - and highlight the interim government's alarming failure to provide protection.

Hadi himself had condemned previous attacks on Prothom Alo, challenging his followers to instead bring out 'ten newspapers better than Prothom Alo'. Evidently they are not up to the task, and prefer to give vent to their destructive instincts. The scale of the violence forced both newspapers to suspend their Friday print and online editions - an unprecedented disruption. The question is, will it force the interim government to finally address what has arguably been its biggest failure?