The decision to restrict journalists’ access to the Secretariat was taken in view of the safety and security of the Key Point Installation, which was hit by a devastating fire this week, the chief adviser’s press wing in a statement said on Saturday.
The statement also said that the government would soon review the existing press accreditation cards and invite fresh applications from all the local and international news outlets for the Press Information Department to issue new accreditation cards.
‘In the meantime, temporary daily access cards will be issued by respective ministries for any press events,’ it continued.
‘The government regrets the inconvenience and seeks cooperation from journalists,’ it added.
Earlier on Friday night the government suspended journalists’ entry into the secretariat using their accreditation cards and cancelled all temporary entry passes for common people due to security concerns following the recent fire incident.
A massive fire at the Bangladesh Secretariat gutted the office of five ministries on early Thursday.
