Tensions Escalate in Bangladesh Following Death of Youth Protest Leader

Fri Dec 19 2025 16:08:47 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

Violence erupted in Dhaka following the shooting death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth movement leader, as protests escalated against the interim government's actions.

The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in Bangladesh's youth protests, has led to widespread violence in Dhaka. Hadi was shot by masked assailants after voicing opposition to the interim government. Protests have turned violent, with demonstrators vandalizing properties as calls for justice rise. The interim government has declared a national day of mourning as investigations continue into Hadi's death.

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 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, 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.

The interim government declared a day of national mourning as investigations are ongoing, with several individuals detained in connection to the shooting.

Shortly after Hadi was shot, Yunus described the attack as premeditated and warned that it aimed to derail the upcoming elections.

Last August, following student-led protests, former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India, ending her 15-year tenure of increasing authoritarianism.