Dhaka Violence After Sharif Osman Hadi’s Death Leaves Prothom Alo, Daily Star Offices Ransacked

Violent protests erupted in Dhaka late Thursday night following the death of prominent youth leader and anti-India activist Sharif Osman Hadi, leading to coordinated attacks on the offices of two leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the radical platform Inquilab Mancha, succumbed to gunshot wounds in a Singapore hospital after being shot in the head on December 12, 2025. His death triggered widespread outrage, with mobs accusing the media outlets of being pro-India and aligned with the ousted Sheikh Hasina regime.

The unrest began around 11:15 p.m. when 30-35 protesters marched from Shahbagh toward Prothom Alo's office in Karwan Bazar, shouting slogans and issuing threats. After initial police intervention failed to disperse them, a larger group—allegedly incited via social media—arrived around midnight. Attackers smashed windows, broke shutters, stormed the four-storey building, destroyed CCTV cameras and firefighting systems, looted over 150 computers, laptops, cash, and personal items, and set fires using gathered furniture and documents.

Journalists and staff at Prothom Alo were trapped amid thick smoke, with some fleeing to the rooftop for safety. Fire service units faced obstructions and attacks, delaying response until around 2:30 a.m., by which time the building was extensively damaged. Prothom Alo described the incident as the "darkest night" for journalism, halting print publication for the first time in its 27-year history and suspending online operations for 17 hours.

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The mob then targeted the nearby Daily Star office, vandalising it and setting fires that trapped dozens of employees. Around 25-28 journalists were rescued by army and fire service personnel after hours on the rooftop, with reports of staff struggling to breathe due to smoke. Both newspapers condemned the attacks as assaults on press freedom, while the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus expressed solidarity with journalists and declared the violence an "attack on truth".

Protesters viewed Prothom Alo and The Daily Star as "Delhi's lapdogs" or enablers of Hasina, who fled to India in 2024. The attacks occurred amid heightened anti-India sentiment, with unrest also affecting cultural sites and Awami League-linked properties. The government announced a day of national mourning for Hadi on Saturday, urged calm, and vowed investigations into the violence.

In the aftermath, both publications resumed limited operations on Friday amid charred ruins, with calls for probes into perpetrators and instigators. The incidents raised concerns over journalist safety, press freedom, and potential instability ahead of national elections, as rights groups warned of spreading extremist influences. The interim administration deployed security forces across cities to prevent further escalation.

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