The Daily Banglar Bani started publication in 1969 by Hafiz Hafizur Rahman and Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani as a weekly backed by Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.^[6]^[7] Sheikh Fazlul Haque Mani, a politician of Bangladesh Awami League and the nephew of President Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.^[8] Journalist Anwarul Islam Bobby supported Mani in founding the newspaper.^[9]

During the Bangladesh Liberation war in 1971, the Daily Banglar Bani was published from Kolkata.^[10] During the war, the office of newspaper in Dhaka was damaged by Pakistan Army shells which targeted opposition newspapers The Daily Ittefaq, and The People.^[11] After the independence of Bangladesh, Banglar Bani started daily publication in Dhaka from 21 February 1972. The pro-Mujib paper received more in payments for government advertising than any other paper when the Awami League government was in power.^[12]

Shahabuddin Chuppu, future president of Bangladesh, worked at the Daily Banglar Bani from 1980 to 1982.^[13] Obaidul Quader is a former assistant editor of Banglar Bani.^[14] Falguni Hamid previously worked as a reporter at Daily Banglar Bani.^[15]

Sheikh Moni was a rival of Tajuddin Ahmed and would write editorials against him in the paper in 1974.^[16] The newspaper was banned in February 1987 by the government of General Hussain Mohammad Ershad for accusing the government of supplying weapons to militias.^[17]^[18] In the 1990s, Islamic fundamentalist called for the newspaper to be closed.^[19]

According to a 2007 extortion case by businessman Azam J Chowdhury against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, five million BDT of a 29.9 million BDT bribe was deposited in an account of Banglar Bani.^[20]

History

References