Police and paramilitary troops fanned out across Dhaka and other cities in Bangladesh on Friday after violent protests overnight over the
death of a popular youth leader, with concerns of further unrest ahead of national elections in which he was due to run.
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 spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, and participated in the student-led protests that
overthrew 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 campaign for the elections.
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 uprising.
In Dhaka, videos circulating on social media showed mobs vandalising the offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper,
Prothom Alo, as well as
The Daily Star, on Thursday night.
The demonstrations were marked by emotionally charged slogans invoking Hadi’s name, with protesters vowing to continue their movement and demanding swift justice.
Several areas remained tense, with additional police and paramilitary forces deployed to prevent further violence.
The fire service said the blaze at
The Daily Star was under control. Troops were deployed to the scene, and firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building.
Bangladesh has been governed 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 has been grappling with fresh protests over delayed reforms, and warnings of unrest by Hasina’s party, the Awami League, which has been barred from the vote. The elections are scheduled for February 12.
