Dhaka, Dec 19 — Violence broke out across parts of Bangladesh following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha, with major media houses reportedly targeted in arson attacks and vandalism. Hadi succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore after battling for his life for six days.
Addressing the nation on Thursday night, interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus confirmed Hadi’s death, according to state-run Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha (BSS). The official Facebook page of Inqilab Mancha also announced the news later the same night. Hadi had been flown to Singapore on Monday for advanced treatment after remaining in critical condition at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.
Within hours of the announcement, unrest spread rapidly in the capital. Early Friday morning, an angry mob set fire to the building of leading English daily The Daily Star at Karwan Bazar in Dhaka. Six firefighting units were deployed to bring the blaze under control. During the incident, several journalists and staff members were reportedly trapped inside the building. Bangladesh Army personnel were later deployed to secure the area, while protesters continued to remain stationed across the street.
In a parallel incident, another group of protesters marched from Shahbagh towards Karwan Bazar and surrounded the office of Prothom Alo, Bangladesh’s largest-circulated daily. Despite police deployment, authorities failed to disperse the protesters or restore order. According to reports, the attack began late Thursday night, with demonstrators carrying sticks and iron rods, vandalising the office premises and smashing most of the window panes. Around midnight, a group allegedly entered the building and set fire to furniture and important documents on the street, Dhaka Tribune reported. Several reporters and staff were said to be trapped inside as tensions escalated.
Meanwhile, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, the student wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), staged a protest in Dhaka, burning an effigy of interim government Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury. The group demanded his resignation, citing the failure to arrest those responsible for attacking Hadi and what it described as a sharp deterioration in public security. The organisation also announced plans to hold a symbolic funeral for Hadi. “We are not making any demands for arrests because the home advisor is unfit for the position,” Jatiya Chhatra Shakti President Zahid Ahsan was quoted as saying.
Hadi, who was reportedly considering contesting as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency in the upcoming February elections, was shot in the head on December 12 in Bijoynagar. According to eyewitness accounts, assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire on Hadi while he was travelling in a rickshaw in the Box Culvert area.
Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp rise in violence and growing concerns over law and order under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, with the latest incidents intensifying fears over press freedom and public safety.
