Unrest in Bangladesh Following the Assassination of Youth Activist

Fri Dec 19 2025 16:44:01 GMT+0200 (Eastern European Standard Time)

The assassination of a prominent youth protest leader has sparked widespread violence and protests in Bangladesh, raising tensions ahead of upcoming elections.

A series of violent protests erupted in Bangladesh after the assassination of Sharif Osman Hadi, a leading figure in the youth movement. Hadi was shot by masked attackers and later died from his injuries. His death incited protests resulting in vandalism and clashes with authorities, prompting the interim government to declare a national day of mourning. Political leaders have condemned the violence and called for justice.

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.

The country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed, he said in a televised speech on Thursday. The interim government declared a day of national mourning on Saturday.

Soon after Hadi was shot, Yunus said it was a premeditated attack and the objective of the conspirators is to derail the election. No form of violence intended to disrupt the election will be tolerated, Yunus said. The incident is a worrying development for the country's political landscape. Investigations are ongoing and several people have been detained in connection to the shooting.

Hadi's tragic end comes against a backdrop of political turmoil following weeks of protests leading to Hasina's ouster and eventual flight to India. The situation remains tense as political factions call for calm amid increasing violence.