Unrest Erupts in Bangladesh Following Youth Leader's Assassination

Fri Dec 19 2025 10:42:18 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The death of prominent youth movement leader Sharif Osman Hadi has sparked violent protests in Bangladesh, leading to widespread unrest and vandalism.

Violence has erupted in Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a youth movement leader shot by masked attackers. His death triggered protests that led to vandalism and clashes with the police. The interim government has declared a national day of mourning, urging for justice for Hadi, while condemning the violence. As investigations continue, the political landscape remains tense ahead of the upcoming elections.

Violence has erupted in Bangladesh following the death of a prominent leader of the youth movement that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Sharif Osman Hadi was shot by masked attackers while leaving a mosque in Dhaka last week and died of his injuries on Thursday while being treated in Singapore.

The shooting came a day after Bangladeshi authorities announced a date for the first elections since the uprising in 2024, which Hadi had been planning to contest as an independent candidate.

As news of his death emerged on Thursday, hundreds of his supporters gathered in a square in the capital city to protest.

Later on, demonstrators vandalised the offices of prominent Bangladeshi newspapers The Daily Star and Prothom Ali, with one building set on fire.

Hundreds of people have gathered here and carried out the attack, a police officer told BBC Bangla.

Troops were deployed to the scene, while firefighters rescued journalists trapped inside the building.

Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha and an outspoken critic of neighbouring India - where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.

Bangladeshi political parties have mourned his death and urged the interim government to bring the perpetrators to justice.

Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who heads the caretaker government, called Hadi's death an irreparable loss for the nation and emphasized that the country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear or bloodshed.

The interim government declared a day of national mourning on Saturday, as Yunus described the attack on Hadi as premeditated, aimed at derailing the upcoming elections.

Investigations are ongoing with several individuals detained in connection with the shooting, amidst escalating tensions as Bangladesh navigates a volatile political landscape.