Bangladesh witnessed widespread violent protests on Thursday night (December 18, 2025) that continued into early hours of Friday (December 19, 2025), following the death of 32-year-old Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and a prospective Dhaka-8 candidate. Sharif Osman Hadi had been shot in broad daylight last on December 12, 2025 while campaigning for the upcoming elections and succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night (December 18, 2025) at a hospital in Singapore.
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From the capital’s Shahbagh intersection to university campuses and major cities across the country, students, political activists, and members of the public staged marches, blockades, and demonstrations, demanding justice for Hadi. Leaders and activists of National Citizen Party (NCP), Bangladesh Islami Chhatra Shibir (the student wing of Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami), and Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU) members took positions at Shahbagh and surrounding areas.
Protesters raised slogans such as ‘Dilli na Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka,’ ‘League dhoro, jelay bhoro,’ (Arrest Awami League and send them to jail) and ‘Amra shobai Hadi hobo, guli’r mukhe kotha kobo’ (‘We will all become Hadi, we will speak even in the face of bullets’), along with chants against what they described as Indian aggression. National Citizen Party (NCP) leaders Asif Mahmud, Mahfuj Alam, convener Nahid Islam, and Nasiruddin Patwari were present during the protests.
Following the protests, hundreds of demonstrators reached the office of Prothom Alo, one of the largest dailies in Bangladesh, at Karwan Bazar at around 11.30 p.m. on Thursday (December 18, 2025), and later surrounding the building. Dozens climbed the four-storey structure, vandalised the floors, and dragged out documents, furniture, and papers, which were piled up outside and set on fire. By Friday morning (December 19, 2025), the building had been completely destroyed.
At around 12.15 a.m., protesters reached the office of The Daily Star near Farmgate, following the attack on the Prothom Alo building. Accusing both newspapers of being agents of India, the crowd smashed glass panels, dragged out chairs, tables, and papers, and set them on fire. A section of the crowd also looted items, including CPUs, monitors, and furniture.
More than a dozen journalists and employees were initially trapped on the rooftop, with several others reportedly stranded on different floors. Firefighters brought the blaze under control at 2 a.m., and a fire service crane was deployed to rescue those trapped. By 2.30 a.m., all employees had been evacuated safely.
Owing to these attacks, operations at Prothom Alo and The Daily Star have been suspended, and both newspapers will not be published on Friday (December 19, 2025). Their online operations have also been largely disrupted.
The Bangladeshi Journalists in International Media (BJIM) condemned the attacks and called on the interim government of Muhammad Yunus to protect journalists and ensure media freedom. Nurul Kabir, editor of the daily New Age, was harassed and shoved by protesters in the early hours of Friday (December 19, 2025) as he tried to reach The Daily Star office.
“Those setting fires are not part of the July movement; they are deliberate conspirators. They entered the scene to tarnish Hadi’s struggle. For Hadi, we seek unity, not division,” said Asif Mahmud Sajib Bhuiya, the recently resigned Local Government Adviser.
Protesters also vandalised and set fire to the premises of the Bengali cultural organisation Chhayanaut in Dhanmondi, halting all classes and activities until further notice. The residence of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at Dhanmondi-32 was also attacked around 12.40 a.m. on Friday (December 19, 2025). Elsewhere, the NCP activists and local residents blocked major highways, including the Dhaka-Aricha and Dhaka-Chattogram routes, causing severe traffic congestion. In Chattogram, protesters besieged and attacked the residence of India’s Deputy High Commissioner, hurling bricks, as law enforcement used tear gas to disperse the crowd. Members of the Bangladesh Army were deployed to maintain order.
In Bandarban, protesters set fire to the residence of former Chittagong Hill Tracts Affairs Minister Bir Bahadur U Shwe Sing, which was gutted up to the third floor before firefighters could control the blaze by 1.30 a.m. Three vehicles parked on the ground floor were also destroyed. Similarly, the residence of former Education Minister and Awami League leader Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel in Chattogram was vandalised and set on fire. The Awami League city office in Rajshahi was razed, while protest marches were also held in Sylhet and Barishal. Demonstrators in Netrokona set roads ablaze, demanding justice, and similar protests erupted in Jamalpur and Hadi’s home district of Jhalakathi, disrupting traffic.
Chief Adviser Yunus, sharing news of Hadi’s demise on Thursday night (December 18, 2025), urged calm, unity, and steadfast progress toward democracy and justice. “This will be our true tribute to martyr Hadi,” he said in a televised address.
The government decided that special prayers will be offered after Jummah prayers in all mosques across the country on Friday (December 19, 2025).
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Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary-general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir condemned the attacks on media organisations and journalists. Mr. Alamgir said those who wait for moments of national crisis to exploit them are enemies of the country. “They wait for crises, and today they turned this moment of mourning into destructive acts. I strongly condemn this terrorism. The govt. must take full responsibilities for these incidents”
Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Amir Shafiqur Rahman also urged patience, saying: “Patience is the greatest weapon of the oppressed, and there is no alternative to restraint. This country belongs to all of us. I hope everyone will act with the utmost patience and responsibility.”
The evolving situation has raised serious uncertainty over the coming national elections scheduled for February 12, 2026. Political analysts warn of a potential disruption.
Mubashar Hasan, a political analyst and Adjunct Researcher at the Humanitarian and Development Research Initiative, Western Sydney University, said: “There were three groups involved: first, those genuinely grieving and angry over Hadi’s death; second, those who are also angry but are intentionally exploiting the situation for political gain, often linked to the government; and third, far-right nationalists. The second group, in particular, wants to delay the elections.
“All these forces are united in questioning the credibility of the polls. If the situation continues, it is highly unlikely that elections will be held on February 12,” he added.
The body of Hadi is scheduled to be brought back to Bangladesh on Friday (December 19, 2025). Hadi was shot in the head on December 12, 2025 in Purana Paltan, one day after the national election schedule was announced. He was first treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital, underwent emergency brain surgery, then transferred to Evercare Hospital, and finally airlifted to Singapore. An attempted murder case was filed, and 14 people have been arrested in connection with the attack so far.
