Editor’s note to readers
Dear readers, patrons and well-wishers,
I extend my sincere apologies to you all for appearing before you 10 days after the tragic death of a minor house help in the apartment of our Executive Editor Syed Ashfaqul Haque. I was diagnosed with a heart ailment and advised urgent consultation with my cardiologist in New Delhi. I returned 24 hours ago and I am presenting myself before you all to clarify some issues that have arisen in the public mind, especially concerning our stance on the incident that occurred on February 6 in which Preeti Urang, 15, died from a fall from the 8th-floor flat in Mohammadpur. She was from Moulvibazar, where her parents are tea garden workers.
At the outset, we express our profoundest sorrow at the tragic, unfortunate and sad demise of Preeti Urang, who came to Dhaka in search of a better life but returned home lifeless. We deeply regret this occurrence and cherish the life of every child in this country and reaffirm our commitment to work for their betterment through our journalism.
Two fundamental questions have risen among a portion of our readers and patrons and in a section of the media, including social media. Firstly, are we using our influence as the leading English daily to interfere, in any way, the investigation process because the accused is the executive editor of this paper? And secondly, are we reporting as objectively as we would normally have done?
We steadfastly support the call by all concerned for justice in Preeti's case and commit to extend our full support in the efforts by the investigating authorities to unearth the truth and take appropriate actions. Syed Ashfaqul Haque and his wife were taken into police custody within hours of the incident; they were denied bail and sent to jail by the learned magistrate in a Dhaka court; they were later interrogated at the jail gate; and now they are on police remand for four days as ordered by another learned magistrate. Does this bear any sign of our interference in the due process of law? We firmly believe the law will take its own course without any interference.
We would like to unequivocally state that regardless of the person involved, The Daily Star will report on the case as objectively, meticulously and professionally as it normally does. Our reporting will not be influenced in anyway nor will we show any bias in carrying out our professional obligations. We await the completion of the judicial process for our own administrative action on this matter. However, we also need to alert our readers that distortions, exaggeration and twisting and falsification of facts are also occurring in the coverage of this story in a section of the media.
We reiterate this paper's unwavering commitment to upholding the rights of children and report relentlessly against all forms of child abuse. We have been in the forefront of upholding the rights of the poor, disadvantaged and the marginalised which we will continue unabated. Upholding the rights of all minorities, especially those of ethnic and religious minorities, remains at the core of our policy.
The Daily Star is a value-based and ethically driven newspaper fully committed to the freedom of the media, freedom of speech and expression and other rights and freedoms enshrined in our constitution. We are nurtured in the principles and values of our Liberation War and stand against all forms of injustice and oppression.
We are grateful to those who are making us constantly aware of our obligation to ethical journalism. We also express our thanks to our critics who anticipate and speculate that we may deviate from our value- based journalism because the accused holds a high position in this paper. We are also grateful to those who have already passed severe judgement on us without seeing how we handle the events as they unfold. We thank them all for reminding us of our duties and reiterate that we will unfailingly adhere to them because that is in our DNA, our institutional ethos and personal beliefs.
Thank you.
Mahfuz Anam
Editor and Publisher
The Daily Star