New Delhi, Dec 23 (NationPress) A social media update from Shafiqul Alam, the Press Secretary to Muhammad Yunus, the Chief Adviser of Bangladesh's interim government, has raised alarm regarding the safety and security of ordinary citizens following a series of violent attacks on media institutions.

On Tuesday, a leading Bengali newspaper, Prothom Alo, raised a poignant question: "If key government officials feel powerless, where can the general populace seek refuge?".

On December 19, Shafiqul Alam shared his distress on Facebook, stating, "I received urgent, tearful calls from my journalist colleagues at The Daily Star and Prothom Alo last night. To all my friends, I apologize for my inability to assist you. I reached out to numerous contacts to seek help, but unfortunately, it was not timely."

On the night of December 18, media offices in Dhaka were assaulted by a violent mob.

Alam described how the staff at these media organizations faced physical assault, with the mob vandalizing and even setting the premises ablaze.

"I finally managed to rest at 5 a.m., relieved that all journalists trapped inside The Daily Star were rescued and safe. However, the two newspapers had already suffered one of the worst mob attacks and arson incidents in the country's history," he conveyed in his post.

In his concluding remarks, he expressed, "I cannot find words to comfort you. As a former journalist, I am deeply ashamed and wish I could disappear in my disgrace."

In reaction, some Facebook users pointed to the government's failure to protect the media. One comment questioned, "Mob violence occurred under your interim government's supervision. How do you justify that?" Another user criticized the government for not taking adequate preventative measures.

In response to Alam's claims about contacting the right authorities for assistance, Prothom Alo had stated that they had anticipated potential violence and proactively reached out to senior government officials and law enforcement for security, but help arrived too late.

The Prothom Alo statement noted that anxious journalists and on-duty staff had to evacuate to save their lives, with law enforcement and fire services arriving later to control the situation.

In a column published on Tuesday, media analyst Nishat Sultana questioned why a prominent government representative would express such helplessness on social media.

She highlighted that the interim government has consistently failed to manage crime and maintain order, allowing lawbreakers to act with impunity.

She compared the current law-and-order situation to a film's climax, where law enforcement arrives too late, saying, "In reality, we do not witness such timely intervention. Security forces remain largely absent, leading to individuals taking justice into their own hands, committing acts of brutality and violence against others."