Riots rock Bangladesh as leader of uprising dies; 2 newspaper offices torched

Riots rock Bangladesh as leader of uprising dies; 2 newspaper offices torched

Violent protests swept Bangladesh on Thursday night and Friday following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure of last year’s uprising against the Sheikh Hasina government and a leader of the Inquilab Mancha.

Hadi, 32, was shot at on December 12 while he was campaigning for the upcoming February elections and died of injuries on Thursday night at a hospital in Singapore.

‘Agents of India’

Protesters stormed the offices of the country’s two leading newspapers — Prothom Alo and The Daily Star — and set fire to the buildings, trapping journalists and other staff inside. Accusing both newspapers of being ‘agents of India’, the crowd went on a rampage.

He was a spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and a prospective candidate for the Dhaka-8 seat.

From the capital’s Shahbagh intersection to university campuses and major cities, students, political activists, and members of the public organised marches, blockades and demonstrations, and demanded justice for Hadi. Leaders and activists of the National Citizen Party (NCP), the Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir (the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami), and the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) participated in the protests at Shahbagh and surrounding areas.

Protesters raised slogans hailing Hadi and protested against what they called ‘Indian interference’ in Bangladesh’s affairs. NCP leaders Asif Mahmud, Mahfuj Alam, convener Nahid Islam, and Nasiruddin Patwari were present during the protests.

Following the protests, hundreds of demonstrators reached the office of Prothom Alo, one of the largest dailies in Bangladesh, at Karwan Bazar around 11.30 p.m. on Thursday and surrounded the building. Dozens climbed the four-story structure, vandalised the floors, dragged out documents and furniture, and set them on fire. By Friday morning, the building had been completely charred.

Around 12.15 a.m., protesters stormed the office of The Daily Star near Farmgate. Some looted CPUs, monitors, and furniture. More than a dozen journalists and employees were initially trapped on the rooftop, with several others stranded on different floors. Firefighters brought the blaze under control at 2.00 a.m., and a fire service crane was deployed to rescue those trapped. By 2:30 am, all employees had been evacuated safely.

Following the attacks, operations at Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were suspended and both newspapers were not published on Friday. Their online activities were also disrupted.

The interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus condemned the attacks and urged citizens to resist from what it described as mob actions carried out by a handful of fringe elements.

Govt. pledge firm action

“We are deeply sorry for the terror and violence you have endured,” the government said in a statement, adding that attacks on journalists are an assault on truth. The government pledged to bring to justice those responsible for the violence.

Mr. Yunus spoke to the editors of both newspapers over the phone and offered support. “This unexpected and disgraceful attack on your institutions and journalists has deeply pained me. In this difficult time, the government stands firmly by your side,” he told them. The statement also condemned the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, calling it a heinous crime and asserting that there is “no space for such violence in the new Bangladesh.”