BCB expresses solidarity with The Daily Star, Prothom Alo

The Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) on Saturday strongly condemned the acts of violence and damage inflicted on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in Dhaka.

In a media release, the BCB expressed deep concern over the incidents and extended its sympathy and solidarity to the journalists and staff of both media organisations affected by the attacks.

"The BCB reiterates its respect for the media and its continued support for press freedom, professionalism and constructive engagement," the statement read, while adding that it hoped normalcy would be restored swiftly and that both organisations would continue their work with the integrity and commitment for which they are respected.

"The Board expresses its deep concern over incidents of this nature and extends its sympathy and solidarity to the journalists and staff of both media organisations affected by these events," the press release further read. 

The attacks, which involved vandalism and arson, were carried out on Thursday night, hours after news broke of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho and a frontline figure of the July uprising.

The BCB's condemnation came a day after the Bangladesh Football Federation (BFF) and three leading sports journalists' organisations -- Bangladesh Sports Press Association (BSPA), Bangladesh Sports Journalists Association (BSJA) and Bangladesh Sports Journalists Community (BSJC) -- issued statements denouncing the attacks and demanding swift legal action against those responsible.

In a statement issued by its media department on Friday, BFF acknowledged the role played by The Daily Star and Prothom Alo in the development of sports in the country and reaffirmed its stance in favour of free and independent journalism, while opposing all forms of violence and unlawful activities.

BFF also called for those involved in the attacks to be brought under the purview of justice without delay, a demand echoed by BSPA, BSJA and BSJC, who urged that the perpetrators be identified and punished according to the law.

As a result of the attacks, publication of both newspapers was halted on Friday, while their online portals also remained temporarily inaccessible.