Journos still denied access to Secretariat despite assurance

Despite government assurances, journalists were not granted entry to the Secretariat on Monday (December 30). The government had announced that journalists would be allowed access with temporary passes from this date. However, despite waiting at the Secretariat gates since morning, no access was granted as of 12:00 PM.

Following the devastating fire at Secretariat Building 7 on December 26, the Ministry of Home Affairs revoked all journalist accreditation cards. During a meeting on Sunday (December 29) with leaders of the Bangladesh Secretariat Reporters Forum (BSRF), Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (Retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury assured journalists that temporary passes would allow their entry starting Monday. Information and Broadcasting Adviser Nahid Islam also reiterated this assurance. Subsequently, a list of journalists was submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs to facilitate the issuance of these passes.

However, access remained restricted. Security personnel at the main gate stated that an initial list of journalists was provided but later withdrawn. According to sources from the Ministry of Home Affairs, the ongoing investigation into the fire incident led the head of the inquiry committee, Senior Secretary of the Ministry of Home Affairs, to withhold approval for journalists’ entry.

At the Secretariat, strict security measures were observed. Only vehicles belonging to advisers, secretaries, and key officials were allowed entry. Officers and employees were entering through the visitors' room between Gate No. 1 and Gate No. 2 or walking through Gate No. 5.

The fire, which broke out late on the night of Wednesday, December 25, caused severe damage to four floors of Secretariat Building 7, which housed five ministries. The blaze began around 2:00 AM on Thursday and was brought under control by the Fire Service after six hours of effort, with full extinguishment taking nearly 10 hours.

On Thursday night (December 26), an order signed by the Special Assistant to the Chief Adviser on Ministry of Home Affairs, Md. Khoda Bakhsh Chowdhury, stated that all temporary entry passes for private individuals were revoked, except permanent passes for Secretariat employees (via the Digital Access Control System) and temporary passes for government officials.