Hadi, 32, founder of the Inqilab Moncho movement and one of the main players in the protest movement that ousted Sheikh Hasina, died in Singapore from a gunshot wound to the head. The suspect reportedly fled to India. Hundreds vandalised the offices of Prothom Alo and the Daily Star in Dhaka. For Muhammad Yunus, this was “an assault on independent media and democratic progress.”

Dhaka (AsiaNews) – Violent protests erupted in Dhaka following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, coordinator of Inqilab Moncho, a socio-cultural movement born out of the July 2024 uprising.

Hadi, known as the "July Fighter" for his role in overthrowing the Awami League administration of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, died yesterday at 10 pm while undergoing treatment in Singapore.

After establishing Inqilab Moncho following the unrest, Hadi organised demonstrations in Shahbagh[*] to demand recognition of the protest martyrs and state support for the injured.

Initially the group's spokesperson, he later became its coordinator and quickly built a strong support base.

Known for his statements against the Awami League and a critic of India, Hadi frequently appeared on television talk shows across the country.

On 12 December, the day after the 13th national election and referendum schedule was announced, Hadi was shot in the head on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan, Dhaka.

Investigators identified a leader of the banned Chhatra League as the perpetrator, and some sources say the suspect fled to India.

The news of Hadi's death sparked unprecedented violence.

Around midnight, hundreds of students and ordinary Bangladeshis stormed the offices of the Prothom Alo newspapers in Karwan Bazar and The Daily Star in Farmgate, Dhaka, vandalising both buildings before setting them on fire despite the intervention of the army and police.

Journalists trapped inside called for help on social media as smoke engulfed the premises.

Porimol Palma, a Catholic correspondent for The Daily Star, spoke to AsiaNews by telephone. “Our workplace was attacked in front of the police and the army, we journalists are still in fear,” he said.”

“I am now in our newspaper office,” he added. “When I arrived, I saw cars moving on the road, everything is fine, but there is something wrong with our office. I am extremely distressed to see my workplace; it is my second home.”

Palma said the eighth-floor office was severely damaged, with fire damaging the building from the ground floor to the sixth floor.

“I think the government could have prevented the attack if it wanted. But it didn’t,” a Prothom Alo journalist said, speaking anonymously.

Everything in their fifth-floor office was burnt, causing irreparable damage, they explained.

“As a journalist for Prothom Alo, I am afraid that I could be a victim of mob violence at any time,” the journalist added.

Exiled journalist Elias Hossain, a former Ekushey TV contributor now living in the United States, is accused of inciting the riot through Facebook posts.

Hossain, who fled Bangladesh in 2015, runs a popular YouTube channel. He wrote: “Prothom Alo is done, come to the Daily Star.” As “India's hideout”, Prothom Alo will not be allowed to remain in Bangladesh.

The head of Bangladesh’s caretaker government, Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus condemned the attacks, calling them "an assault on independent media and democratic progress."

He expressed his condolences to editors Matiur Rahman (Prothom Alo) and Mahfuz Anam (The Daily Star) and assured them that the government would provide full security and cooperation.

“This unwanted and despicable attack on your organization and journalists has deeply saddened me. The government stands by you in this difficult time,” Yunus said in a statement.

“This attack on the country’s two leading media organizations is tantamount to an attack on independent media. This incident has created a huge obstacle in the path of democratic progress and independent journalism in the country,” he added.

The chief advisor promised to meet with the editors soon and to ensure the protection of the media amid growing instability.

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[*] A major neighbourhood in Dhaka, the capital, location of the nation's leading educational and public institutions.

• bangladesh
• inqilab moncho
• july fighter
• unrest
• prothom alo
• the daily star
• attacks
• muhammad yunus