I went through one of the toughest times in my journalism career from July 15 to August 5, 2024. Being able to report on the mass uprising against the dictatorship, which began with a nonviolent student demonstration, was undoubtedly an unforgettable experience.
We closely observed how the violent actions taken by the overthrown Awami League government to suppress the student movement led to the complete collapse of the party.
Throughout this period, I was mostly accompanied by my senior colleague, Kamran Reza Chowdhury, whom I considered a brother-in-arms. We traveled mostly on his yellow Vespa.
After Sheikh Hasina's escape, when people rushed to her residence, Ganobhaban, we both left this Vespa at the gate and entered. After roughly two hours, we attempted to depart, but the Vespa was nowhere.
But Kamran Bhai has no regrets about losing the Vespa, as he was so excited to be a part of this historic event. He was only stating what we had seen! We should also document these stories regarding 'an uprising in journalism'.Many journalists have been killed or injured during this violent time. We were under attack from all sides. Every day, we have to cover violent protests with the fear of not returning alive.
Including curfews, killings, and a ton of other stuff! It is also necessary for us to document these stories of "journalism during the mass uprising."
We noticed shortly after the uprising that benarnews.com, which had been unavailable in Bangladesh since April 2020, had been totally unblocked.
In recent years, everyone on the BenarNews Dhaka team has learned how tough it can be to work in a news outlet that is 'unofficially restricted' by the government.
We were enjoying the thrill of journalism at the same time. Despite all the restrictions, we have worked. When readers and visitors visit our archive, we hope they will feel it.
I am grateful to the BenarNews team in Dhaka and my colleagues at the headquarters in Washington, DC, for their continuous support during this tremendously difficult period.
It's my 19th and longest workplace. I'm able to carry out the most impartial journalism here. Out of 18 earlier roles, I only had a taste of this independent journalism while working at Weekly 2000 and Weekly Sheersha Kagoj/sheershanews.com.
