Bangladesh army stands guard at the premises of the Prothom Alo daily newspaper after angry protesters set it on fire in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on December 19, 2025. MAHMUD HOSSAIN OPU / AP
Violence broke out in Bangladesh's capital early on Friday, December 19, after a youth leader of the country's 2024 pro-democracy uprising who was injured in an assassination attempt died in a hospital in Singapore. Thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was announced, to demand that his killers be arrested.
Several buildings in the capital, including those housing the country's two leading newspapers, were set on fire, according to authorities, with staff trapped inside. Hadi was a key figure in last year's uprising that ended the autocratic rule of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and sent her fleeing to India. He was running for a parliament seat in the February 2026 national election.
On December 12, Hadi was shot by masked assailants as he was leaving a mosque in Dhaka. He was airlifted to a hospital in Singapore for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. At least three cases of arson were reported in Dhaka after the news of his death spread, a spokesperson for the Fire Brigade and Civil Defense force told AFP, including a fire at the Daily Star building and another at a building housing the Prothom Alo newspaper.
