Bangladesh Protests Highlights: Sharif Osman Hadi laid to rest; 10 arrested for the murder of Hindu youth, says Yunus

Prothom Alo reports around 1,000 officers from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), equipped with body cameras are keeping vigil as citizens gather for Sharif Osman Hadi's namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer). Osman Hadi’s autopsy was conducted today morning at the Suhrawardy Hospital. The crowd has been gathering since last night.

The report stated that crowds at the funeral site at the Bangladeshi Parliament were seen raising slogans like "Hadi Bhai’s blood will not go in vain", and "Delhi or Dhaka: Dhaka Dhaka".

The interim government of Muhammad Yunus has written to Meta asking it to take down violence-inciting content from Facebook. The government alleged that such content was being posted to "sabotage the election process" and "encourage attacks on media organisations".

It also asked Meta, Facebook and Instagram's parent company, to monitor Bangladesh-related content till the elections are over.

People from across Bangladesh are gathering at Manik Mia Avenue in the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban (Parliament) area for the funeral of Inqilab Moncho founder Sharif Osman Hadi, reported Dhaka Tribune. Security has been beefed up in the area. No bag or heavy object is being allowed into the area. Vehicles are being barred from entering the area.

The Daily Star reports that the protesters accused it and Prothom Alo of "setting the ground" for activist Sharif Osman Hadi's killing. They accused them of siding with India and called the newspapers "Sheikh Hasina's enabler". Both The Daily Star and Prothom Alo have dismissed the claims.

The protesters shouted "Delhi or Dhaka; Dhaka, Dhaka", "Sycophancy or movement; movement, movement", "We have shed blood; we will shed more," and demanded punishment for Hadi's killers.

Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) secretary general Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir has said the violence that followed the death of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi is a conspiracy to destabilise the nation before the general elections scheduled in February 2026.

Bangladesh has been rocked by protests and violence since Thursday midnight over the death of student leader and Inqilab Moncho founder Sharif Osman Hadi. He was shot in the head last week. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment. From there, he was taken to Evercare Hospital. After his condition was stabilised enough for airlifting, he was flow to Singapore General Hospital (SGH) for treatment at its Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit. However, he passed away on Thursday.

Hadi and Inqilab Moncho supporters took to the streets demanding "justice". Protesters set fire to two newspaper offices, the partially demolished Dhanmondi 32 (Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rehman's home), and the Chhayanaut Bangla cultural centre.

Hadi's body reached Dhaka last evening. A namaz-e-janaza (Islamic funeral prayer) will be held today in Bangladesh for him. Inqilab Moncho and the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government have urged protesters to exercise restraint and abstain from violence.

Rajya Sabha MP and former diplomat Harsh Vardhan Shringla says, “There seems to be some escalation, which can be attributed to upcoming elections likely in February. Elements exploiting minority anti-India sentiment are trying to promote their own interests. It was appropriate that the government and the Ministry of External Affairs called in the Bangladesh High Commissioner to make clear that activities against our consulates, risking the lives of diplomats, property, and minority communities, must not be tolerated. Any government that wants good relations with India must understand that promoting anti-Indian activities will invite a commensurate response.”

The youth wing of the Tipra Motha Party on Friday held a protest near the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Agartala, objecting to what it described as an “anti-India campaign” and comments made by a Bangladeshi leader targeting the Northeast, reported news agency PTI. Following the demonstration by the Youth Tripra Federation (YTF), security around the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission was tightened. Additional forces were deployed to prevent any untoward incident.

Dhaka University’s Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Hall has been "renamed" Shaheed Osman Hadi Hall. Around 2:30 AM on Friday, student leaders strung up a banner that read 'Shaheed Osman Hadi Hall' over the gate of the hall. Hall union General Secretary Al Sabah was quoted by Dhaka Tribune as saying that the banner was strung up after a "students' vote". Of course, this wasn't the official renaming of the hall carrying Bangladesh founder Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's name. The official request to name the hall after Hadi will be floated at a meeting later, reported Dhaka Tribune.

President of the Editors' Council of Bangladesh and editor of New Age newspaper Nurul Kabir was allegedly harassed in front of the Daily Star newspaper office on Thursday midnight. "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 by BBC Bangla.

Bangladeshi newspaper Prothom Alo has issued a statement on the "large-scale attack" on its offices last night. Read the full statement below:

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.

A Hindu man was beaten to death by a group of people in Bhaluka, Mymensingh, over blasphemy allegations. After the lynching, the attackers tied the youth’s body to a tree and set it on fire, Bhaluka Police Station duty officer Ripon Mia was quoted as saying by BBC Bangla.

Protesters hurled bricks and stones at the residence the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram around 1:30 AM, but failed to cause any damage, reported news agency PTI. Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, dispersing the crowd and detaining 12 protesters. Senior officials have assured the assistant high commissioner of security.

Sharif Osman Hadi's Inqilab Moncho has appealed for peace after night of violence in Dhaka. "The people of Bangladesh are requested to avoid any kind of violence. Osman Hadi wanted to deal with his enemies using justice and fight them intellectually," Facebook post by Inqilab Moncho read.

Inqilab Moncho founder Sharif Osman Hadi was a key leader during the 'July Revolution' against the Sheikh Hasina government last year. He was known to have worked on the ground and advocated 'new-age politics' as opposed to the 'old-style politics' of the BNP and other Opposition parties. He was touted to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency as an independent in the general elections schedule for February next year. Through his activism and 'Ban Awami League' campaign, he gained a massive following. This is why his death has sparked an outrage among the Bangladeshi youth who are demanding immediate action and "justice".

Bangladeshi student activist and founder of the student activist group Inquilab Moncho Sharif Osman Hadi was shot in the head by two bike-borne assailants near in the Motijheel area. The incident happened after the namaaz prayers. He was travelling by an electric autorickshaw at the time. Earlier this week, Hadi had said on Facebook that he had received death threats.

Amid the unrest, a group of protesters attacked the office of the widely circulated Bangla daily Prothom Alo in the Karwan Bazar area of the capital, close to the Shahbagh intersection, early on Friday after the news of the death of activist Sharif Hadi spread. Reports said several floors of the building were vandalised. The mob set fire to the premises while journalists and staff members were trapped inside, as per multiple reports. “Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building,” news agency PTI quoted a witness.

The office of another prominent Bangladeshi newspaper The Daily Star was also vandalised.