Bangladesh on edge: Massive protests erupt after Sharif Osman Hadi's death; newspaper offices vandalised

Massive protests erupted in Bangladesh following the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi on late Thursday, with demonstrators torching Awami League office and several newspaper offices and clashing with authorities, deepening fears of a further deterioration in law and order.


Protesters set fire to Sheikh Mujib’s residence and an Awami League office in Rajshahi.


Videos showed demonstrators vandalising the country's largest newspaper, Daily Prothom Alo, along with another newspaper office Daily Star . The authorities struggled to douse the fire.


The demonstrations were marked by emotionally charged slogans invoking Hadi’s name and vowing continued resistance, with protesters demanding justice and accountability for the attack that ultimately claimed his life.


Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in the July Uprising who was shot last week, died on Thursday at a hospital in Singapore after six days on life support.

Hadi, who was contesting the February 12 general elections, was shot in the head by masked assailants on Friday while launching his campaign in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.

Bangladesh’s interim government chief Muhammad Yunus announced a day of state mourning on Saturday following the death of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, Prothom Alo reported.

The nation saw fresh anti-India protests on Wednesday as hundreds of demonstrators, marching under the banner “July Oikya” (July Unity), moved toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, raising anti-India slogans and calling for an end to what they described as “anti-Bangladesh conspiracies,” while also demanding the return of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.