Protesters on Thursday night attacked the headquarters of two leading daily newspapers in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year’s mass uprising.
Hadi, a spokesman for the Inqilab Mancha cultural group and a vocal critic of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian influence, died a week after being shot by unknown assailants. He passed away in a Singapore hospital where he had been evacuated for advanced medical treatment.
According to investigators, Hadi was shot in the head on December 12 when two men on a motorcycle attacked him while he was travelling by rickshaw in Dhaka. Authorities said the suspects have been identified and are believed to have fled to neighbouring India.
Following the interim administration’s announcement of Hadi’s death on Thursday evening, protests erupted across Dhaka and other parts of the country. Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim administration, declared a day of mourning in a televised address and appealed for calm.
After midnight, groups of protesters moved to Karwan Bazar, where they vandalised and set fire to the offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, accusing the newspapers of serving Indian interests. Journalists and staff were reportedly trapped inside before firefighters rescued several people using ladders. Army units were later deployed around the buildings to restore order.
Elsewhere, footage aired by private broadcaster Jamuna TV showed protesters using a bulldozer to demolish the regional office of Hasina’s Awami League in the northern city of Rajshahi. Similar demonstrations were reported in Chattogram and Khulna, underscoring the nationwide spread of the unrest.