Following the death of 2024 student uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, widespread protests erupted in Bangladesh on Friday. Amid the public outrage across Dhaka, many protesters vandalised the offices of leading Bangladeshi dailies and newspapers.
The protests in Bangladesh come amid rising tensions caused by the assassination attempt on Osman Hadi. Hadi was shot at during a campaign on December 12, following which he was in critical condition. The Inqilab Manch leader was airlifted to Singapore for better treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, December 18.
As per videos on social media and shared by news agencies, the offices of Daily Star and Daily Prothom Alo were vandalised and set on fire by angry protesters. Ahead of the public outcry, Chief Adviser to the Bangladesh interim government Muhammad Yunus called on citizens to remain calm and urged restraint.
Bangladesh Unrest: 5 Key Updates
Osman Hadi Dies After Assassination Attempt
Osman Hadi was evacuated by air from Bangladesh to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit on December 15 to receive emergency medical treatment. The leader was airlifted days after he was shot in the head in the Bangladeshi capital of Dhaka.
As per the official statement issued from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Singapore, Sharif Osman Hadi succumbed to his injuries from an assassination attempt on Thursday.
Bangladesh Declares One-Day State Mourning
Bangladesh's interim leader, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, who took over three days after Hasina’s ouster in August 2024, announced one day of state mourning for the student leader.
Yunus Urges for Calm, Restraint
In a televised address to the nation late Thursday night, Yunus announced Hadi's death and promised swift action to catch his killers.
"Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news. Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us," he was quoted as saying. The interim leader also vowed to bring those involved in Hadi's murder to justice quickly, saying, “No leniency will be shown" to the killers.
“I sincerely call upon all citizens – keep your patience and restraint,” he said, adding that citizens should let law enforcement agencies and other relevant organisations carry out investigations with professionalism.
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Protests Erupt in Dhaka
As per an AP report, hundreds of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka as soon as the news of Hadi's death was confirmed. Many rallied on Shahbagh Square near the Dhaka University campus as similar protests broke up elsewhere in the country.
The shooting has set off tensions in the already fragile political situation, and as Bangladesh prepares to head to the polls, which will be the first election since Sheikh Hasina's ouster. At Shahbagh intersection near Dhaka University, protesters chanted slogans like "Who are you, who am I – Hadi, Hadi".
Meanwhile, a student group, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, brought out a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus and marched to Shahbagh to join the demonstration.
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Newspaper Offices Set on Fire
Amid the protests and demonstrations, a group of protesters gathered outside the head office of the country’s leading Bengali-language Prothom Alo, in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area.
They later surged into the building, according to online portals of various leading media outlets, vandalised and set fire to the building.Along with Prothom Alo, another group of protesters pushed into the premises of English-language paper Daily Star and set fire to the building, according to footage from the Kaler Kantha newspaper, another local daily.
Journalists inside the buildings confirmed the fire as they posted information about the suffocation and smoke inside the offices. As per BDNews, at least 25 journalists were rescued from the Daily Star building, four hours after the fire.
As per AP, soldiers and para-military border guards deployed outside the two buildings but did not take any action to disperse the protesters.
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