National Liberation Council Sees Attacks on Prothom Alo, The Daily Star and Chhayanaut as Signs of a New Form of Fascism

The National Liberation Council (NLC) has described the incidents of arson and looting at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, along with the setting of fire to the cultural organization Chhayanaut, as indications of the emergence of a new form of fascist rule in Bangladesh.

The organization made the remarks in a statement sent to the media on Friday. The statement further alleged that imperialist India is attempting, at the international level, to portray Bangladesh as a “militant state.” It emphasized that resisting this political aggression by India is a moral responsibility of the country’s democratic forces.

Strongly criticizing the interim government for what it termed as extreme failure, the statement said the administration’s inability to arrest the killers of Sharif Osman Hadi reflects grave administrative incompetence. The leaders stressed that the forces behind the July mass uprising must unite to fight against all conspiracies.

According to the National Liberation Council, the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi is part of a deep-rooted conspiracy aimed at destabilizing the country. The killers’ objective, the statement claimed, was to create chaos by making the upcoming national parliamentary election uncertain.

The joint statement was signed by Faizul Hakim, Editor of the National Liberation Council; Sajib Roy, President of the Bangladesh Krishok and Rural Labour Federation; Abdul Hakim, General Secretary of the Socialist Party of Bangladesh; and Amir Abbas, General Secretary of the Bangladesh Trade Union Federation.

The statement was also endorsed by Kazi Iqbal, President of the Bangladesh Writers’ Camp, and Mitu Sarkar, President of the Bangladesh Student Federation. All of them demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi.