Following the fall of Sheikh Hasina’s government, Bangladesh’s media industry is witnessing a wave of mass layoffs, allegedly driven by political motives. Journalists from all levels—including editors and entry-level reporters—are being dismissed, while some have even faced legal cases on charges like murder and money laundering.
Many critics claim that those replacing the dismissed journalists are affiliated with or favored by a particular political party.
The first major dismissal after the political transition took place at Ekattor TV, which was widely regarded as a mouthpiece for the Awami League government. On August 8, Shakil Ahmed, the station’s Head of News, and his wife, Farzana Rupa, the Chief Correspondent, were both dismissed. The couple was later arrested at the airport while attempting to leave for France and is currently in prison.
Shakil Ahmed’s position was handed over to Shafik Ahmed, a senior reporter at the channel, who is said to have been sympathetic to the BNP. He was also given the additional responsibility of CEO.
Independent TV removed Mamun Abdullah as Head of News, replacing him with Akmal Hossain.
DBC News replaced its Editor Zayedul Ahsan Pintu with Loton Akram, who previously worked for Samakal and spent much of his career covering BNP-related news.
On the other hand, Zayedul Ahsan Pintu was known as a person who was ‘in favor of the Independence of Bangladesh’. Pintu is also known as a teacher and researcher. He has written several books like ‘Mysterious Mass Uprising’ and ‘Blood-Drenched Darkness’. He also researched how Ziaur Rahman ‘killed pro-independence army members’ after grabbing the power.
Somoy TV replaced its Managing Director and CEO Ahmed Zubair with Shampa Rahman.
Meanwhile, AFP reports, Hasnat Abdullah, the convener of the anti-discrimination student movement, led around 15 to 20 people on December 17 to the office of the Managing Director of City Group, which invests Somoy TV. Five journalist were simultaneously fired after the meeting.
ATN News dismissed its Head of News Provash Amin, appointing Md. Mosharraf Hossain in his place.
J.E. Mamun, the chief executive editor of ATN Bangla, another television station under the same owner, has been relieved of his duties, who were serving the position since 2015.
News 24 dismissed Rahul Raha as Head of News.
Boishakhi TV’s Head of News Ashok Chowdhury has been relieved of his duties and replaced with Ziaul Kabir Suman, who was previously the chief news editor of Diganta Television, which is known for its ‘Jamaat-fighting’. The station also removed its Head of News Saiful Islam and Chief News Editor Joy Prokash from their respective positions.
Ekushey Television’s news chief Rashed Chowdhury has been replaced by Harun Ur Rashid.
Nagorik TV’s news chief Deep Azad, who is the secretary general of the Bangladesh Federal Union of Journalists (BFUJ), has been relieved of his duties.
Asian TV’s news chief Belal Hossain has been fired and replaced by journalist Sirajul Islam, who previously held various positions at Channel One, Diganta Television, Islamic Television and Radio Tehran.
The wave of dismissals has not been limited to TV stations. Prominent newspaper editors have also been removed.
Saiful Alam, the Editor of the Daily Jugantor, was replaced by Abdul Hai Shikdar, a former president of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (BNP-Jamaat portion).
Alamgir Hossain, Editor of the daily Samakal, was dismissed and replaced by the publisher Abdul Kader Azad (AK Azad) himself, a business tycoon and former president of FBCCI.
Azad sought the Awami League nomination for Faridpur-3 constituency in the 12th National Parliament election. Although he did not get the nomination, he was elected as an independent candidate.
Quader Gani has been appointed as the director of East West Media Group. The group includes Kaler Kantho, Bangladesh Pratidin, Daily Sun, Banglanews 24, News 24, T Sports and Capital Radio.
Imdadul Haq Milon was removed as Editor of the daily Kaler Kantho and replaced by Hasan Hafiz, who also became the new President of the National Press Club.
Nayeem Nizam was removed from the daily Bangladesh Pratidin, and Abu Taher was appointed as Acting Editor.
Mustafiz Shafi stepped down as Editor of the daily Protidiner Bangladesh, with Morsalin Babla taking over.
Mustafa Mamun was dismissed from the daily Desh Rupantor, replaced by Kamal Uddin Sabuj, a veteran journalist and former President of the National Press Club.
The executive editor of the daily Jai Jai Din, Arun Kumar Dey, has been replaced by Khurshid Alam, general secretary of the Dhaka Union of Journalists (BNP-Jamaat Portion).
Retired Major Sheikh Hafizur Rahman has joined the executive editor of the daily Janakantha.
Lutfar Rahman Himel has been appointed as the editor of Banglanews24.com, replacing Jewel Mazhar.
We spoke to most of the dismissed journalists. Many of the dismissed journalists have declined to speak publicly, citing fears for their safety. One former Head of News at a television station, speaking anonymously, compared the situation to the mass takeovers of markets and public spaces following the August 5 political shift.
“There is pressure on media owners to remove those labeled as pro-Awami League. My employer asked me to resign to save the organization. I complied without protest,” he said.
When asked why he didn’t protest, the journalist said, “No rules are being followed anywhere. On the contrary, if I protest, I will be in danger of losing my life. Now I have lost my job, but I am still alive!”
Another dismissed news chief of a TV station recounted being asked to resign but was given vague reasons. “They claimed there were many allegations against me, but when I asked for specifics, they just said I had praised former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in the past, and that external forces were pressuring them to let me go.”
This news-based television journalist was often seen at the Prime Minister’s press conferences at Prime Minister’s office the Ganabhaban; he sometimes even asked questions to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Media observers say these dismissals are not isolated incidents but part of a larger pattern of suppression. Not only senior journalists but also experienced reporters have been removed.
However, journalist associations and press freedom organizations have remained largely silent.
A senior journalist pointed out that media owners who were aligned with the previous government have faced no consequences. “If Ekattor TV’s senior editors were removed for being Awami League loyalists, why hasn’t the owner been held accountable as well?”
Writer and journalist Arif Jebtik described the situation as a “crackdown on the media.”
Online activist Arif Jebtik is well-known for his work in analyzing various incidents through accurate data.
“No government in Bangladesh has ever attacked free speech on such a large scale—not even in 1971 or during Ershad’s military rule. The forced removal of journalists is a dark chapter in history,” he said.
He warned that this was not an isolated event but a systematic effort to reshape the media landscape.
Journalism experts believe these changes have not necessarily improved media professionalism.
“There has been no effort to replace biased journalists with neutral professionals. Instead, it’s just one group replacing another,” said senior journalist Moshiur Rahman Khan to the Deusche Welle.
“”We have not seen any attempt to place qualified people in the journalism institutions. As a result, it cannot be said that there is a positive effort being made”, he added.
“The intelligence agencies that used to monitor us are no longer doing so. But we are seeing a trend of appeasing those in power,” he said.
Saiful Alam Chowdhury, Associate Professor of Mass Communication at Dhaka University, noted that ‘Protocol News’ has not been shut down yet.
“We are seeing more toned-down language in news reports, as if journalists are afraid. During the One-Eleven political crisis, we witnessed similar editorial shifts,” he said.
He told Deutsche Welle, “The news of top government figures is being printed with importance. If you look at the media for the last two weeks, it seems that they are under some kind of invisible pressure. They may be printing a lot of news, but they are softening the tone with their choice of words. There was some kind of pressure during the one-eleven military-backed government, we saw this kind of journalism then. Another issue is mob justice. The media is also afraid of this.”