Unrest escalates in cities after killing, fears of further violence ahead of national elections
A policeman gestures as people gather outside the Angullia Mosque to wait for the body of Sharif Osman Hadi, a Bangladeshi student who was killed in a fatal shooting in Dhaka, Singapore December 19, 2025. Source: Reuters
Police and paramilitary troops fanned out across Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh on Friday after violent overnight protests over the death of a popular youth leader, with fears of further unrest ahead of national elections in which he was due to stand.
Streets were calm in the morning, but residents in the Muslim-majority South Asian nation said they were worried there could be fresh violence after Friday prayers later in the day.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was a spokesman for Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, and took part in the student-led protests that toppled the government of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year. He was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last Friday while launching his election campaign.
Hadi was initially treated at a local hospital before being flown to Singapore for advanced medical care, where he died after spending six days on life support.
Hadi was an outspoken critic of India and Inquilab Mancha describes itself on its website as a “revolutionary cultural platform inspired by the spirit of rebellion”.
In Dhaka, videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalizing the offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as the Daily Star, on Thursday night.
The protests were marked by emotionally charged slogans invoking Hadi’s name, with protesters vowing to continue their movement and demanding speedy justice. Several areas remained tense, with additional police and paramilitary forces deployed to prevent further violence.
The fire service said the fire at the Daily Star was brought under control. Troops were deployed to the scene and firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building.
Pressure on the government
Bangladesh has been ruled by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus since August 2024, after Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising.
The government is grappling with fresh protests over delayed reforms and warnings of unrest from Hasina’s Awami League party, which has been barred from the vote. The elections are scheduled for February 12.
In a televised address to the nation after Hadi’s death, Yunus said: “His death represents an irreplaceable loss for the nation’s political and democratic sphere.”
Urging citizens to remain calm, Yunus said the government was committed to ensuring a transparent investigation and bringing all those responsible to justice. He also appealed for restraint, warning that violence would only undermine the country’s progress towards a credible election.
The interim administration declared Saturday a day of national mourning in Hadi’s honor, with national flags flying at half-mast and special prayers planned across the country.
The home of the country’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Hasina’s father, was vandalized and set on fire again after being attacked twice in the past in February and August last year.
New Age editor Nurul Kabir, who also heads the country’s Editorial Board, was harassed by protesters outside the Daily Star building on Thursday night as they vandalized the premises, with videos showing him being pushed into a crowd, verbally abused as an “Awami League associate” and having his hair pulled.
In Dhaka, the premises of Bengal’s prominent cultural organization Chhayanaut were vandalized and set on fire. In the northwestern district of Rajshahi, protesters destroyed an Awami League party office using a bulldozer, while protesters blocked major highways in several other districts.
Violence was also reported in several cities across Bangladesh, including the port city of Chittagong, where protesters attacked the Indian High Commission Assistant and torched a house belonging to a former Awami League education minister.
The unrest follows fresh anti-India protests earlier this week, with ties between the neighbors deteriorating since Hasina fled to Delhi. On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters under the banner of ‘July Oika’ (July Unit) marched towards the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, chanting anti-India slogans while also demanding Hasina’s return.
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