A series of coordinated attacks on Bangladesh’s leading cultural and media institutions has raised alarm over the deteriorating security situation in the country, with observers pointing to a familiar pattern of Islamist radicalism and alleged external backing.

The latest incident occurred on Friday evening when a mob set fire to the central office of Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigosthi, the country’s largest progressive cultural organization, located on Topkhana Road in Dhaka. Firefighters brought the blaze under control within half an hour, but the damage was extensive, destroying decades of archival material, musical instruments and documents linked to Bangladesh’s cultural resistance movement.

Udichi, founded in 1968 by revolutionary cultural figures including Satyen Sen and Ranesh Das Gupta, has long been identified with secularism, Bengali identity and the ideals of the 1971 Liberation War. The organisation was awarded the Ekushey Padak in 2013 for its contribution to culture.

Government Accused of Inaction

Udichi leaders accused the interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus and law enforcement agencies of failing to act despite advanced threats. General Secretary Amit Ranjan Dey stated that threats against Udichi were issued publicly following attacks on major newspapers and cultural bodies the day before. “Despite being fully aware of the situation, the administration took no measures to protect us. Miscreants were able to set fire to our office without any resistance,” he said during a protest rally in Dhaka.

On Thursday night, mobs vandalised and torched the offices of leading dailies Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, followed by an attack on Chhayanaut, a premier institution dedicated to Bengali music and culture. Chhayanaut itself was founded in 1961 in defiance of a ban imposed by then Pakistan authorities on Rabindranath Tagore’s birth centenary celebrations.

Rising Radicalism And Political Context

The violence has unfolded amid unrest following the death of anti-India radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, with protests spiralling into widespread mob action. Cultural organisations promoting Bengali identity have historically been viewed with hostility by Islamist groups such as Jamaat-e-Islami Bangladesh, which opposed Bangladesh’s independence in 1971 and maintained close ties with Pakistan.

Political analysts note that since the ouster of Sheikh Hasina and the lifting of restrictions on Jamaat and its student wing Islami Chhatra Shibir, radical groups have grown increasingly assertive. The interim government’s perceived softness towards these outfits has drawn sharp criticism from civil society.

Pakistan Angle and Regional Concerns

The renewed attacks come as Dhaka and Islamabad rapidly expand bilateral engagement. Visa-free travel for official passport holders, new direct flights, and a proposed Karachi–Chittagong shipping route have been announced. Reports of an ISI-linked special cell operating from Pakistan’s High Commission in Dhaka have further fuelled suspicions.

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Many in Bangladesh believe the targeting of progressive cultural institutions, media houses and minorities fits a familiar destabilisation playbook aimed at weakening the country’s secular foundations.

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Rejecting government or corporate aid, Udichi has announced it will renovate its burnt office through public donations. “Our strength has always been the people,” the organisation said, calling the destruction of its archives a “cultural catastrophe.” As protests continue, cultural activists warn that continued state inaction risks emboldening extremist forces and undermining Bangladesh’s hard-won secular and democratic traditions.