Violence Erupts in Bangladesh After Death of Radical Leader Sharif Osman Hadi

Dhaka: Violence broke out in several parts of Bangladesh following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the radical group Inqilab Mancha, with multiple media establishments reportedly targeted in arson and vandalism attacks.

Hadi succumbed to his injuries while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore after remaining on life support for six days. Confirming his death, interim government Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus addressed the nation on Thursday night, according to Bangladeshi news agency BSS. The news was also announced on the official Facebook page of Inqilab Moncho.

Hadi had been airlifted to Singapore on Monday for advanced medical care after being in critical condition at Evercare Hospital in Dhaka.

Hours after his death was announced, the Dhaka office of The Daily Star newspaper in Karwan Bazar was set on fire by an angry mob early Friday morning. Six firefighting units were deployed to control the blaze. Several journalists and staff members were reportedly trapped inside the building during the attack. Bangladesh Army personnel were later deployed to secure the area, while protesters remained gathered across the street.

In a separate incident, a group of protesters marched from Shahbagh to Karwan Bazar, surrounded the office of Prothom Alo, and staged a protest. Police attempts to disperse the crowd failed to restore order. According to the Dhaka Tribune, the attackers vandalised the building using sticks and rods, shattered window panes, and later set fire to furniture and important documents outside the office.

A Prothom Alo journalist reported that several reporters and staff members were still trapped inside the building as tensions continued to escalate.

Meanwhile, Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, the student wing of the National Citizen Party (NCP), organised 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 Hadi’s attackers and the worsening law and order situation. They also announced plans to hold a symbolic funeral for Hadi.

“We are not making any demands for arrests because he is unfit for the position. You cannot make demands to an irresponsible home advisor,” Dhaka Tribune quoted Jatiya Chhatra Shakti President Zahid Ahsan as saying.

Hadi, who was expected to contest as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency in the upcoming February elections, was shot in the head in broad daylight on December 12 in Bijoynagar. According to reports, assailants arrived on a motorcycle and opened fire while Hadi was travelling in a rickshaw near the Box Culvert area of the capital.

Bangladesh has witnessed a sharp rise in violence and a deterioration of law and order under the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government.

With inputs from IANS