Bangladesh was gripped by widespread unrest on Friday following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the 2024 student uprising. As grief and anger spilled onto the streets of Dhaka, protests escalated rapidly, with demonstrators vandalising and setting fire to the offices of some of the country’s most influential newspapers.
Images and videos circulating on social media showed flames engulfing parts of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo buildings, underscoring the intensity of public outrage triggered by Hadi’s death.
Assassination Attempt Sparks Nationwide Anger
The unrest comes days after an assassination attempt left Hadi critically injured. He was shot in the head during a campaign event in Dhaka on December 12, plunging the country into shock and uncertainty.
As tensions mounted, the student leader, widely seen as a key voice of the recent uprising, was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment. Despite efforts by doctors, Hadi succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, December 18, according to an official statement from Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Bangladesh Unrest: Key Updates
Hadi was transferred to the Singapore General Hospital’s Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit on December 15. His death, confirmed days later, has intensified an already fragile political situation in Bangladesh.
In response to the tragedy, Bangladesh’s interim leader and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus announced a one-day state mourning. Yunus assumed office in August 2024, just days after the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, and now faces one of the most volatile moments of his tenure.
Addressing the nation in a late-night televised speech on Thursday, Yunus confirmed Hadi’s death and vowed swift justice.
“Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news,” he said, describing Hadi as a “fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha.”
Promising that those responsible would be brought to justice, Yunus warned that “no leniency will be shown” to the perpetrators. At the same time, he appealed to citizens to exercise patience and restraint, urging them to allow law enforcement agencies to conduct a professional investigation.
Despite calls for calm, emotions ran high. According to an AP report, hundreds of protesters poured into the streets of Dhaka soon after Hadi’s death was confirmed. Shahbagh Square, near Dhaka University, became a focal point, with demonstrators chanting slogans such as, “Who are you, who am I – Hadi, Hadi.”
Student group Jatiya Chhatra Shakti organised a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus, eventually marching toward Shahbagh to join the growing crowds. Similar demonstrations were reported in other parts of the country.
The shooting and subsequent death of Hadi have further strained Bangladesh’s already delicate political landscape, particularly as the nation prepares for its first election since Hasina’s removal.
As protests intensified, anger turned toward the media. Groups of demonstrators gathered outside the headquarters of Prothom Alo, the country’s leading Bengali-language daily, in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area. According to reports from multiple local outlets, protesters forced their way inside, vandalised the premises, and set parts of the building ablaze.
A similar scene unfolded at the office of the English-language Daily Star, where another group of protesters reportedly set fire to the building. Footage shared by the Kaler Kantha newspaper showed thick smoke billowing from the premises.
Journalists trapped inside both buildings shared harrowing accounts of suffocation and chaos. According to BDNews, at least 25 journalists were rescued from the Daily Star office nearly four hours after the fire broke out.
