In brief
Following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in Bangladesh's youth movement, protests escalated into violence. Hadi, who was shot by masked gunmen, died while receiving treatment abroad. His death sparked unrest, vandalism of media offices, and calls for justice as the interim government faces mounting critiques amidst looming 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.
The country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed, he said in a televised speech on Thursday.
Hadi's death has raised concerns over the stability of the upcoming elections, with Yunus labeling it a premeditated attack aimed at derailing the electoral process.
Investigations are ongoing, and several arrests have been made in connection with the shooting.
As tension rises, the interim government declared a day of national mourning for the ailing democracy in Bangladesh.
