Bangladesh sees fresh violence following death of Osman Hadi

DHAKA: A series of intense anti-India protests and violent demonstrations began in Bangladesh after the death of young revolutionary leader Osman Hadi.

In the capital Dhaka, angry protesters took to the streets and set fire to the offices of the Awami League and media organizations, vandalized and blocked important roads, while there were also reports of clashes between protesters and security forces.

The two papers are the largest in the South Asian country, but protesters accused them of being aligned with neighbouring India, where Hasina has taken refuge.

Zyma Islam, a reporter for the Daily Star said she was trapped inside the burning building.

“I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me,” she wrote on her Facebook page.

The fire at the Daily Star building was brought under control at 1:40 am (2040 GMT), firefighting officials said.

However, 27 employees were still inside.

“We took refuge at the rear of the building and could hear them chanting slogans,” Ahmed Deepto, a Star reporter, told AFP, referring to protesters.

The house of India’s deputy ambassador to Bangladesh was also surrounded by hundreds of people who were trying to demonstrate in a sit-in, but police lobbed tear gas shells to disperse the crowd, according to local news reports.

In addition, protesters blocked a key highway leading from the capital and attacked the residence of a former minister in Chittagong in the country’s southeast, according to footage shown on local television.

Protesters also attacked Chhayanaut, a center in Dhaka devoted to Bengali culture.

‘An irreparable loss to the nation’

Earlier Friday, Singaporean authorities announced that Hadi had died in a local hospital.

“Despite the best efforts of the doctors…, Mr Hadi succumbed to his injuries,” Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement, adding that it was assisting Bangladeshi authorities with repatriating his body.

In Dhaka, the interim government headed by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus confirmed Hadi’s death.

“His demise is an irreparable loss for the nation,” Yunus said in a televised speech.

“The country’s march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed.”

The government also announced special prayers at mosques on Friday and a half-day of mourning on Saturday.

Hadi, a senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, was an outspoken critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.

Manhunt for gunmen

Bangladeshi police meanwhile have launched a manhunt for Hadi’s shooters, releasing photographs of two key suspects and offering a reward of five million taka (about $42,000) for information leading to their arrest.

Yunus, the 85-year-old Nobel Peace Prize winner leading Bangladesh until the February 12 vote, has called the shooting a premeditated attack carried out by a powerful network aimed at derailing the election.

Muslim-majority Bangladesh, a nation of 170 million people, will directly vote for 300 lawmakers for its parliament, with another 50 selected on a women´s list.

The last elections, held in January 2024, gave Hasina a fourth straight term and her Awami League 222 seats, but were decried by opposition parties as a sham.

The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), led by three-time former prime minister Khaleda Zia, is widely tipped to win the upcoming vote.

Zia is in intensive care in Dhaka, and her son and political heir Tarique Rahman, is set to return from exile in Britain after 17 years on December 25.

Osman Hadi Death

Bangladeshi student movement leader Sharif Osman Hadi has passed away while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore.

He had been battling for life for the past six days. His death was confirmed by Chief Advisor Professor Muhammad Yunus in an address to the nation, which was broadcast live on state broadcaster BTV and BTV News at 11:30 pm.

Informing the nation of the sad news, the Chief Advisor said that Singapore’s Foreign Minister Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan informed him of Sharif Osman Hadi’s death over the phone. Professor Muhammad Yunus paid tribute to the deceased, saying that he was an unforgettable soldier in the struggle against fascism and oppression.

He prayed that Allah Almighty may grant this great struggler the status of a martyr.

Sharif Usman Hadi, who was seeking to contest the election as an independent candidate from Dhaka-8, was shot dead on December 12 while travelling in an auto-rickshaw in Dhaka’s Paltan area.

He was immediately evacuated abroad in critical condition, but he did not survive.

Professor Muhammad Yunus termed his death an irreparable loss to the country’s political and democratic landscape.

He expressed his heartfelt condolences to the deceased’s wife, only child and other family members and announced that the government would take full responsibility for the widow and child of Sharif Usman Hadi.

The chief advisor announced a day of official mourning on Saturday, during which the national flag would be flown at half-mast while special prayers would be offered after Friday prayers in mosques across the country.

Prayer services would also be held in places of worship of other religions.

He thanked the Singaporean government and in particular the Foreign Minister, Dr. Vivian Balakrishnan, who took a personal interest in overseeing the treatment of Sharif Usman Hadi.

Finally, Professor Muhammad Yunus categorically declared that all elements involved in this heinous murder will be brought to justice soon and no leniency will be shown.