A special art exhibition titled “Alo” (Light), documenting the recent arson attacks on newspaper offices, opened at 11:00am today, transforming destruction into a striking meditation on survival and resilience.

The exhibition was launched inside the fire-scarred premises of Prothom Alo at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka repurposes the remnants of the December 18, 2025.

Curated by eminent artist Mahbubur Rahman, the exhibition transforms the fire-scarred premises of Prothom Alo at Karwan Bazar in the capital into powerful visual testimony.

Burnt books, melted computer monitors and charred newsroom debris have been reassembled as artefacts -- confronting visitors with both the scale of the devastation and the unbroken will to continue publishing.

The exhibition includes video installations, sculptural works and recorded testimonies of staff who witnessed the arson and the attack.

It will remain open to the public daily from 11:00am to 1:00pm and 3:00pm to 5:00pm until February 28.

The inauguration drew members of the Editors’ Council, the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh, media professionals, artists, writers and business leaders.

Prothom Alo Executive Editor Sajjad Sharif moderated the programme.

Speaking at the event, Prothom Alo Editor Matiur Rahman called for an end to longstanding divisions within the journalistic community, urging solidarity against future threats.

Referring to the newspaper’s motto, “Truth is Courage,” he said factual reporting remained the strongest shield.

He warned journalists had endured a “so-called division” for the past two to three decades and stressed the need to transcend ideological fault lines.

“We want this division to end,” he said. “In the future, we will stand beside any journalist or media organisation facing attacks or danger, regardless of their ideology or beliefs.”

He noted that while Prothom Alo and The Daily Star had faced sustained pressure, other publications such as Naya Diganta, Sangram, Jaijaidin and Amar Desh had also seen their editors subjected to arrest, harassment and torture.

“We condemned those actions then. We will be even more conscious and responsible in defending each other moving forward,” he said.

The Daily Star Editor and Publisher Mahfuz Anam urged the new government to conduct a thorough investigation and hold both instigators and perpetrators accountable, suggesting the attack bore signs of planning rather than spontaneity.

He recalled how 28 staff members were trapped on the roof of The Daily Star building as smoke engulfed the structure, forcing them into a desperate struggle to breathe. Yet the following morning, despite near-total destruction, staff insisted on publishing the newspaper.

“They told me they would work from home if necessary. This is devotion to journalism. This is courage.”

He described the arson not merely as an attack on buildings, but on the principle of intellectual freedom itself.

“It was fire set against free thought, against independence, and against independent journalism.”

NOAB President AK Azad, also publisher of Samakal, called for “rock-solid unity” among publishers, editors and journalists, warning that further attempts to suppress the press could follow.

“This is not the end,” he said. “But if we remain united, we will be prepared to resist.”

Dewan Hanif Mahmud, editor of Bonik Barta and general secretary of the Editors’ Council, described the burning of newspaper offices as among the gravest possible indictments of any society.

“A very bad message has gone out to the world. That newspaper offices can be burnt in this country,” he said.

Hasan Hafiz, president of the Jatiya Press Club, criticised the preceding interim administration for failing to protect media institutions during a volatile political transition.

“The responsibility lies with those who were in charge,” he said, adding that the country must rebuild with renewed resolve.

Meanwhile, Kader Gani Chowdhury, secretary general of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists, said media freedom remained inseparable from democracy itself.

“The Daily Star and Prothom Alo have been reduced to skeletons,” he said. “But even a skeleton can have a soul.”

On the night of December 18 last year, a mob launched coordinated attacks on the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, in what media leaders described as a deliberate attempt to intimidate independent journalism.

The attackers also targeted Chhayanaut, one of the country’s leading cultural institutions.