Bangladesh unrest: How protests after Osman Hadi’s death turned violent

Bangladesh is in turmoil.

The country is witnessing widespread protests following the killing of a youth leader, who was also a critic of ex-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and India.

Sharif Osman Hadi, lead organiser and spokesman for the Inqilab Manch, died after being shot by motorcycle-borne assailants in broad daylight in Dhaka.

The development occurred a day after Bangladesh’s Election Commission formally announced the schedule for next year’s parliamentary elections. Bangladesh interim government adviser Mohammad Yunus has said he will step down once the elections are conducted.

Hadi, who was rushed to hospital in the aftermath of the shooting, was later transferred to Singapore for treatment. Then, on Thursday night, Yunus announced that Hadi had died as a result of his injuries. “His passing represents an irreplaceable loss to the nation’s political and democratic sphere,” Yunus said. Hadi’s death resulted in an outpouring of anger, with tens of thousands of people taking to the streets across Bangladesh.

Follow all developments on the Bangladesh protests here.

Many of the protesters were chanting Hadi’s name as well as emotionally charged slogans invoking his memory. The protesters insisted that their movement would continue and that they would have justice for his death. Some of the protesters also claimed that Hadi’s attackers had fled to India, which the Bangladesh Police has denied.

Let’s take a closer look at how the protests are escalating.

All-night protest, attack on newspaper offices

As soon as the news of Hadi’s death broke, thousands of people took to the streets of Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka. The Shahbag intersection witnessed an all-night protest from supporters and activists of the July Moncho, as well as members of the public. The protest, which began at 11 pm, continued well into Friday morning.

The Inqilab Manch, in a statement, had called on people to show up at Shahbagh, saying that if Osman Hadi “responds to the call of his Creator and joins the ranks of martyrs”, then the citizens of the country must work together to safeguard sovereignty.

The protesters were joined by members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), an offshoot of the Students Against Discrimination (SAD), which led last year’s protests.

Meanwhile, the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka witnessed vandalism and arson. Hundreds of people chanting slogans marched from Shahbagh towards Kawran Bazar, surrounded the office of the Bengali-language daily Prothom Alo and vandalised it. A witness said hundreds of demonstrators gathered outside the office of Prothom Alo by 11 pm. While police
attempted to calm the protesters, their efforts were in vain.

According to reports, the attack commenced around 11.45 pm. Protesters, many of them armed with sticks and rods, vandalised the office and broke many window panes. Protesters also took out tables, chairs and important documents, which were set ablaze on the street. This meant many of the newspaper’s staff remained trapped in the office.

The crowd then moved towards _The Daily Sta_r offices, also in Dhaka’s Kawran Bazar, and set them ablaze. This resulted in journalists in the building being trapped and their lives being put in jeopardy.

“I can’t breathe anymore,” The Daily Star reporter Zyma Islam wrote on Facebook. “There’s too much smoke. I’m inside. You are killing me,” she added. The staff had to evacuate to the terrace to save themselves.

“All The Daily Star staff have just been successfully evacuated to a safe place, thanks to the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service,” Mahmud Hasan, a member of the staff, wrote on Facebook. “Special thanks to an army major whose valour today matched that of ‘Major Rana’, the iconic fictional hero from the Masud Rana series created by Kazi Anwar Hossain, for leading the evacuation operation,” he added.

The fire was brought under control only by 2 am. In all, it took members of the army and fire service over four hours to evacuate two dozen staff members of the newspaper. According to reports, Bangladeshi army personnel have now been positioned in front of The Daily Star building. Videos online show Editors’ Council president and New Age editor Nurul Kabir being first heckled and then beaten by a crowd.

“Since the offices of two newspapers were being attacked, I went there out of a sense of responsibility as the president of the Editors’ Council to investigate. Then some young people, who may not know me, attacked me,” Kabir was quoted as saying by BBC Bangla.

_Prothom Alo_ released the following statement: “Due to a large-scale attack, vandalism and arson at the Prothom Alo office last night, it has not been possible to maintain normal operations. As a result, today’s printed edition of Prothom Alo could not be published. Its online portal is also temporarily unavailable. We sincerely apologise to our readers for this inconvenience. We are working to restore the damaged technical systems as quickly as possible and will resume publication of Prothom Alo in print and online at the earliest. We seek our readers’ cooperation in this matter.”

The Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre was also subjected to vandalism and arson.

Indian High Commission surrounded, officials targeted

Protesters also surrounded the offices and homes of members of the Indian High Commission in Khulna and Chattogram. Protesters hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram around 1.30 am. However, there was no damage. Police dispersed the crowd after firing tear gas and lathi-charging the mob. Police have also detained a dozen protesters, and senior officials have reassured that the Assistant Indian High Commissioner is safe and that proper security has been provided. In Rajshahi, protesters attempted to march on the home of an Indian diplomat but were halted in their tracks by police.

Dhanmondi 32, the home of Bangladesh’s founding father Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, was set ablaze yet again. The structure had been partially demolished earlier this year after being vandalised by protesters. The office of Chhayanaut, an institution focusing on Bengali culture in Bangladesh, also came under attack. Its main office in Dhanmondi was vandalised and set ablaze.

Hindu youth lynched

In Bhaluka’s Mymensingh, a Hindu youth was lynched after being accused of blasphemy by a mob. The incident occurred on Thursday night in the Square Master Bari Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka upazila. The mob beat the victim, Dipu Chandra Das, to death, hung his body from a tree and set it ablaze.

Das, who worked at a local garment factory, was living in the area. “On Thursday around 9 pm, an enraged crowd caught him and beat him to death, accusing him of making derogatory remarks about the Prophet. They then set the body on fire,” duty officer Ripon Mia told BBC Bangla.

Police arrived at the scene after receiving word of the incident. Das’s body has been sent to Mymensingh Medical College Hospital. No case has been filed thus far. “We are looking for his relatives. If they come forward and file a case, action will be taken in accordance with the law,” Mia was quoted as saying.

Protesters also demolished the Awami League office in Rajshahi with an excavator. The home of Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel, former education minister in the previous Awami League government, was vandalised and set ablaze by protesters. This was the home of Nowfel’s father, the late Chattogram mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury. In Bandarban, the home of former Chattogram Hill Tracts Affairs minister Bir Bahadur Ushwe Sing has been torched.

With inputs from agencies