As guests walked into The Daily Star premises to mark its 35th anniversary, they were not met with glossy interiors or a polished lobby.
Instead, they encountered the first two floors laid bare like a wound -- hollowed-out and fire-scarred from the night of December 18, 2025.
Spotlights lit up charred walls and peeling paint, while footfalls stirred soot from broken tiles, making the air hang heavy. Piles of burnt newspapers and shattered glass lined the walkways, and the summer heat made the scorched woodwork swelter.
On the first day of the two-day event yesterday, what was on display was not an aestheticised, carefully curated exhibit, but a raw, unflinching look at the heinous attack, which around 30 staffers of the newspaper survived.
However, after a day’s gap, the newspaper was published with a single-word headline, “Unbowed”.
As The Daily Star marked its three and a half decades, the ceremony served as a stark reminder that mobs could burn a building, but not its guiding principle of journalism without fear or favour.
Even when faced with the fear of death, its journalists upheld the newspaper’s motto -- “Your right to know”.
The programme began with the national anthem, followed by a one-minute silence observed in memory of the 13th anniversary of the Rana Plaza collapse, the martyrs of the 1971 Liberation War, the 1990 anti-autocracy movement, and the 2024 July Uprising.
“When a free press is set ablaze, democracy burns with it,” said Mahfuz Anam, editor and publisher of the newspaper, adding that democracy falters when presses are silenced.
He reminded the audience that the newspaper, founded on January 14, 1991, was born during the fall of General HM Ershad’s autocracy. “Our journey began alongside the rebirth of democracy.
“As a front-row witness for 35 years, I have seen where we excelled and where we faltered. Our greatest failure has been the inability to institutionalise democracy.”
He said the February 12 election and the newly elected parliament mark a renewal of the pledge to democracy, and reminded the audience that this government is not “business as usual” because it emerged through the July uprising.
“As a non-partisan paper, we speak not of a partisan victory, but of an elected government that must reflect the dreams of its people,” said Anam, adding, “You [the newly-elected government] are the product of a revolution led by students -- the July uprising. This signifies something profound. Do not underestimate the dreams of that revolution; it is a perspective that must guide your path.”
The newspaper’s editor added, “I would like to tell my fellow journalists that your job is not to serve your owner. Your job is to serve the people, your readers, your listeners. Sometimes you forget. I appeal to you to realise the value, the magnificent ethos of your profession.”
Anam also appealed to the new leadership to pay heed to environmental destruction. “We are among the countries that have the highest number of rivers -- all fresh water -- while the world is dying for drinkable water. This is an asset. The rivers in the country are not being polluted by our enemies but ourselves. Meanwhile, groundwater, which is supposed to serve the next generations, is being extracted indiscriminately.”
During the ceremony, the organisation handed over tokens of appreciation to members of the army, police, and fire service for their efforts in saving the lives of The Daily Star’s staffers on the night of December 18, 2025, despite many challenges.
They included Lieutenant Colonel Sami Ud Dowla Chowdhury, director of ISPR; and Lieutenant Colonel Md Junnun Nahid, both of whom were recognised in absentia.
Also honoured were Kazi Nazmuzzaman, PFM, assistant director of the Fire Service and Civil Defence Directorate; Md Nazim Uddin Sarker, PFM, senior station officer at the Tejgaon Fire Station; Mohammad Ibne Mizan, deputy commissioner (Tejgaon Division) of Dhaka Metropolitan Police; and Kya Swee Nue Marma, officer-in-charge of Tejgaon Police Station.
The Daily Star also continued its tradition of honouring grassroots changemakers by recognising four exemplary individuals.
These included Rahima Khatun, a grassroots health worker in Chuadanga who spent 30 years improving maternal health and family planning as the community’s trusted “Doctor Apa”; Ballal Hossain, a former day labourer from Jashore who transitioned into a successful agricultural entrepreneur; Shirin Akter, Bangladesh’s fastest woman and a 16-time national champion who rose from barefoot competitions; and Nagina Najnin Banu, a pioneer from Thakurgaon who launched a mozzarella cheese revolution in her village, helping empower several other women.
Hundreds of guests, including ministers, business leaders, politicians, academics, vice-chancellors, journalists, diplomats, development partners, civil society members, and patrons of the newspaper, attended the event.
Among the ministers and parliamentarians present were Home Minister Salahuddin Ahmed; Finance Minister Amir Khosru Mahmud Chowdhury; opposition leader and Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Shafiqur Rahman; Energy Minister Iqbal Hassan Mahmood Tuku; Fisheries, Livestock and Agriculture Minister Mohammed Amin Ur Rashid; Information Minister Zahir Uddin Swapon; State Minister for Sports Aminul Haque; BNP Standing Committee member Abdul Moyeen Khan; Dhaka-12 MP Saiful Alam Khan Milon; and National Citizens Party MP from Narayanganj-4 Abdullah Al Alamin.
The event was also graced by Prof Rehman Sobhan, founder and chairman of Centre for Policy Dialogue; Prof Abdullah Abu Sayeed, founder of Bishwa Sahitya Kendra; political scientist Prof Rounaq Jahan; rights activist and academic Hameeda Hossain; Supreme Court lawyer Barrister Sara Hossain; and Dr Hossain Zillur Rahman, founder and executive chairman of Power and Participation Research Centre, among others.
Notable political personalities included Jamaat central leaders Ahsanul Mahboob Zubair, Maulana Abdul Halim, and Ataur Rahman; Supreme Court lawyer Shishir Manir; the Prime Minister’s Deputy Press Secretary Shahadat Shadhina, his Office Director Mohammad Nasir Uddin Sarwar, and speech writer Mahfuzur Rahman; Chief Prosecutor of the International Crimes Tribunal Md Aminul Islam; National Citizens Party spokesperson Asif Mahmud Shojib Bhuyain and its Chief Organiser (North) Sarjis Alam; and former interim government adviser Mahfuj Alam, who is currently leading a new political platform called Alternatives.
Other political personalities included Maulana Ahmad Abdul Qayyum, assistant secretary general of Islami Andolon Bangladesh; Maulana KM Shariatullah, chief coordinator of its Central Media Cell; Maimun Islam Mithun, publicity secretary of Islami Chhatra Andolon; Advocate Monir Hossain of the Central Media Cell; and Ahmad Abdul Kader, secretary general of Khelafat Majlis.
Business leaders who attended the programme included Kamran T Rahman, president of the Metropolitan Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Dhaka; Naser Ezaz Bijoy, CEO of Standard Chartered Bangladesh; Syed Mahbubur Rahman, MD and CEO of Mutual Trust Bank; Rupali Haque Chowdhury, managing director of Berger Paints Bangladesh; Abdul Hai Sarker, chairman of Dhaka Bank; Syed Nasim Manzur, managing director of Apex Footwear; Mohammad Ali, managing director and CEO of Pubali Bank; Showkat Aziz Russell, president of the Bangladesh Textile Mills Association; and Tapan Chowdhury, managing director of Square Group.
The chiefs of law enforcement agencies at the event included DMP acting commissioner Md Sarwar; RAB Director General Ahsan Habib Palash; CID Chief Mosleh Uddin; DB Chief Shafiqul Islam; and DC (Tejgaon Division) of DMP Ibne Mizan.
Tamim Iqbal, president of the Bangladesh Cricket Board; and Tabith Awal, president of the Bangladesh Football Federation, also attended the programme, along with Shahnaz Rahman, chairperson of Transcom Group and its CEO Simeen Rahman.
Eminent personalities from the diplomatic circuit included Bangladesh Foreign Secretary Asad Alam Siam; EU Ambassador Michael Miller; Japanese Ambassador SAIDA Shinichi; UK High Commissioner Sarah Cooke; Canadian High Commissioner Ajith Singh; Italian Ambassador Antonio Alessandro; German Ambassador Dr Rudiger Lotz; Swiss Ambassador Reto Renggli; Indian High Commissioner Pranay Verma; Swedish Ambassador Nicolas Weeks; Norwegian Ambassador Håkon Arald Gulbrandsen; Danish Ambassador Christian Brix Møller; Argentine Ambassador Marcelo Carlos Cesa; Turkish Ambassador Ramis Şen; Thai Ambassador Thitiporn Chirasawadi; Maldivian Ambassador Shiuneen Rasheed; Indonesian Ambassador Listyowati; Singapore High Commission’s Chargé d’Affaires Mitchel Lee; and Counselor for Public Affairs at the US Embassy Monica Shie.
Besides, UN Resident Coordinator Carol Flore-Smereczniak; UNESCO Country Representative Dr Susa Vize; International Fund for Agricultural Development Country Director Dr Valentine Achancho; and UNDP Deputy Resident Representative Sonali Dayaratne, along with UN Women representatives, also attended the programme.
Top journalists present included Prothom Alo Editor and Publisher Matiur Rahman; Channel i Managing Director Faridur Reza Sagar and its Director and Head of News Shykh Seraj; Kaler Kantho Editor and Jatiya Press Club President Hasan Hafiz; Dhaka Tribune Editor Reaz Ahmad; Bdnews24.com Editor-in-Chief and Publisher Toufique Imrose Khalidi; The Financial Express Editor Shamsul Huq Zahid; Editor and Publisher of Counterpoint Zafar Sobhan; Jatiya Press Club General Secretary Ayub Bhuiyan; and television talk show host and executive director of the Centre for Governance Studies (CGS) Zillur Rahman.
The second day of the event, to be held today, will feature similar programmes with guests from several different fields and organisations.
