Protests Over Killing Of Bangladeshi Activist Continue; Buildings Damaged In Arson Attacks
DHAKA, Dec 19 (Bernama-Anadolu) -- Protests against the killing of a prominent Bangladeshi political activist continued for a second day on Friday, with people blocking roads and setting fire to several buildings, including two newspaper offices, in the capital, Dhaka.
According to Anadolu Ajansi, protests erupted shortly after Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, died while undergoing treatment in a Singapore hospital on Thursday.
Protesters in Dhaka also damaged the house of the country’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
They are demanding justice for Hadi’s death. He rose to prominence following last year’s mass protests that ended former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule and forced her to flee to India.
Hadi was shot in the head on Dec 12 in Dhaka while returning from an election campaign.
Interim government leader Muhammad Yunus declared a state of mourning on Saturday following Hadi’s death, urging people to remain calm and maintain peace.
However, protesters vandalised both the Bengali-language national daily Prothom Alo and the English-language newspaper The Daily Star.
Firefighters later extinguished the flames, while soldiers, police and political figures assisted in rescuing the newspaper staff.
Following the attacks, the newspapers issued separate notices announcing that publication had been suspended.
Later, Yunus spoke to newspaper editors, describing the incidents as an “attack on the free press”.
He called on all citizens to “resist all forms of mob violence committed by a few fringe elements”.
His office issued a statement saying: “We strongly and unequivocally condemn all acts of violence, intimidation, arson and property destruction.”
The shooter and his accomplice in Hadi’s attack fled to India, according to a report by Bangladeshi national daily Jugantor published on Thursday. However, Anadolu was unable to independently confirm the newspaper’s claims.
After the attack on Hadi, Bangladeshi police arrested 10 people, but they have yet to officially confirm the suspects’ reported location.
-- BERNAMA-ANADOLU
