Riots Erupt in Bangladesh After the Killing of a Student Leader

Newspaper buildings were set on fire after the death of an activist who was attacked recently. Political leaders fear more violence could derail attempts to restore democracy.

The death on Thursday of a politically prominent student leader attacked in Bangladesh ignited a wave of unrest in Dhaka, the capital, with mobs setting newspaper offices ablaze in a nation with a shaky hold on democracy.

Sharif Osman bin Hadi, 32, died at a hospital in Singapore, where he had been flown for medical care. He had lain in critical condition for a week since being shot in the head on Dec. 12. As a student leader, Mr. Hadi had become an outspoken critic of the authoritarian rule of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, whose government collapsed in August 2024 after a monthslong standoff with a youth-led movement.

According to the U.N.’s fact-finding report, at least 1,400 protesters were killed last year by the security forces and members of Ms. Hasina’s Awami League party.

After Mr. Hadi’s death, protesters poured into the streets of Dhaka late Thursday night, demanding justice. Arsonists targeted not only newspapers but also the homes of several politicians in different cities.

Ms. Hasina, who ruled Bangladesh with an iron grip for 15 years, fled to New Delhi last August and has been sheltered by the Indian government ever since. An interim government headed by Muhammad Yunus, a Nobel Peace Prize recipient, has been running Bangladesh while factions scramble for position. An election, which Ms. Hasina’s Awami League is barred from running in, is to be held on Feb. 12.

Mr. Hadi intended to run for Parliament as an independent candidate. He founded a cultural institution after Ms. Hasina’s downfall and led an innovative campaign of handing out leaflets at mosques after morning prayers. He appeared on talk shows criticizing both the Awami League and what he regarded to be India’s malign influence on his country.

He had spoken about the risks that came with his politics. “We only want that if someone shoots us dead, they are caught and brought to justice,” he told an interviewer recently.

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See also:

• Presses fall silent after mobs torch offices of Bangladesh's top newspapers (Reuters)