On July 30, Deutsche Welle (DW), a German media outlet with worldwide operations, aired a news program about violence within the anti-discrimination movement.

During the program, DW's Asia division head, Debarati Guha, suggested that a third party, not students, was responsible for setting fire to Dhaka's BTV building.

Guha made this statement while visiting Bangladesh,sparking widespread criticism and raising concerns about DW's potentially biased view of the student movement in the country.

Bangla Outlook inquired with Deutsche Welle whether Debarati's claim represented the organization's official position.

Carla Hagmann, Deutsche Welle's Head of Corporate Communication, clarified that Debarati's statement about a potential third party's involvement in the BTV fire was her personal opinion based on her observations, not an official statement or the result of any investigation by Deutsche Welle.

In addition, during the discussion, Debarati claimed that no political party had demanded Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina's resignation.

However, reports from Dhaka Tribune, New Age, and the international media outlet The Diplomat indicate otherwise.

In response to a query about this, Deutsche Welle stated that while Debarati Ghosh was in Bangladesh, the BNP had not formally demanded the Prime Minister’s resignation.

However, individuals associated with the opposition party and members of civil society used the hashtag #StepDownHasina to call for the Prime Minister's resignation.

Deutsche Welle also noted that Debarati has worked as a senior editor at Deutsche Welle for many years and has a good understanding of the region.

She was on a visit to Bangladesh on behalf of Deutsche Welle. As the head of Deutsche Welle’s Asia division, she supervises the program and represents Deutsche Welle.

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