Bangladesh Erupts in Violence After Death of Prominent Protest Leader

Bangladesh is now in chaos after a lot of violence started after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was an important part of last year's student-led protest. Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesman for the protest movement Inqilab Mancha, died in a Singapore hospital on Thursday after being shot in Dhaka last week. His death has made political emotions higher across the country.

The trouble started late Thursday when thousands of people marched in the capital, Dhaka, to show their sadness and anger. 

Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, Bangladesh's top two newspapers, are located in workplaces that protesters set fire to along with other buildings. Before firemen were able to control the fire, reporters and other workers at the Daily Star are said to have been trapped in the building until they were saved.

Protesters also went after other things that were seen as political or authoritative.

In some places, groups used bulldozers to destroy buildings connected to the old Awami League. In Chattogram, people threw stones at the Indian Assistant High Commission, which led to an intervention by security forces with tear gas and baton charges. Protesters have mixed political anger with other kinds of frustration, including anti-India feelings that are linked to regional political competition.

The interim government, which is led by Nobel Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, has asked people to stay calm and announced a national day of mourning. 

To keep things from getting worse, security forces have been sent to the country's big cities. But as the national elections in Bangladesh coming this February 2026 get closer, things are still tense. The current unrest is a sign of deeper political divides, analysts say, and could make the already weak transition harder to follow.