Shahidul, at a meeting in Kushtia Public Library ground on Wednesday, threatened all printing presses in the district of dire consequences if they printed Dainik Andolaner Bazar. No printing presses dared to print the newspaper since then.

The daily stopped publication after Shahidul's cadres attacked Quality Press at Courtpara, the press that printed the daily, on May 30 and snatched the tracing papers required to print the paper.

Local administration did not provide any security for the newspaper despite repeated appeal by the newspaper authorities.

"We repeatedly appealed to the administration to ensure our security but these were of no avail," Anisuzzaman, executive editor of the daily, told The Daily Star yesterday.

"Deputy Commissioner (DC) asked us to file a case against the lawmaker while the superintendent of police (SP) assured us of police patrol but no round-the-clock watch," he added.

Reporters and employees of the daily are scared to move around in the town or go to the office fearing attacks by Shahidul's cadres. Manjur Ehsan Chowdhury, editor of the daily, is now in Dhaka fearing attacks on his life.