Bangladesh on boil after Osman Hadis death; media offices set ablaze, Indian mission attacked | Key updates
Osman Hadi, a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha platform and a candidate in general elections, was shot in the head on December 12 in Dhaka. He was flown to Singapore for advanced medical treatment, where he died on Thursday.
New Delhi: The death of Bangladeshi youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi has triggered massive protests in several parts of the country, including Dhaka and Chittoram, on Thursday, with mobs vandalising and setting ablaze offices of media houses and attacking the Indian mission.
Hadi, a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha platform and a candidate in the upcoming general elections, died on Thursday in Singapore after an assassination attempt on December 12. He was shot in the head while launching his election campaign in Dhaka.
The youth leader was airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment, where he died on Thursday after spending six days on life support. "Despite the best efforts of the doctors…, Mr (Sharif Osman) Hadi succumbed to his injuries," Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement.
Media offices, Indian mission attacked
The angry protesters set the office of Awami League on fire and also pelted stones and bricks at the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram. The offices of the country’s largest daily newspaper, Prothom Alo, as well as The Daily Star, were vandalised and set ablaze by the protesters.
As the situation in several areas turned tense, additional police and paramilitary forces were deployed to avert further violence.
The latest unrest comes close on the heels of the recent anti-India protests in the country, which have worsened the ties between the neighbours. Relations between India and Bangladesh have already been under strain since Hasina fled to Delhi. On Wednesday, hundreds of protesters marched toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, chanting anti-India slogans, while also demanding the return of Hasina. Recently, India summoned the Bangladesh High Commissioner and expressed concern over the "activities of extremist elements who have threatened to disrupt the security situation" around the Indian Embassy in Dhaka.
Bangladesh govt appeals for peace
Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the Bangladesh interim government, confirmed Hadi's death and said that his demise "represents an irreplaceable loss to the nation's political and democratic sphere." Yunus has been leading the interim administration since August 2024, after Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising. The country’s national election is scheduled for February 12.
In a televised address to the nation, Yunus appealed to citizens to remain calm and asserted that the government was committed to ensuring a transparent investigation and bringing all those responsible to justice. He also called for restraint, warning that violence would only undermine the country’s path toward a credible election.
Meanwhile, the interim administration has declared Saturday a day of state mourning for Hadi, with national flags to be flown at half-mast and special prayers planned across the country, according to Reuters.