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Media offices set ablaze in Dhaka protests
Staff at two of Bangladesh's most prominent newspapers were trapped for hours as demonstrators set fire to their offices following the fatal shooting of a high-profile activist, journalists said.
Key activist's death ignites unrest
Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old leader of the student group Inqilab Mancha, died on Thursday from injuries sustained in a shooting in Dhaka last week. Hadi had gained prominence after playing a central role in the 2024 protests that forced former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina from power.
His killing, described by interim leader Muhammad Yunus as a deliberate attempt to disrupt Bangladesh's democratic transition, triggered widespread demonstrations. Protesters targeted the offices of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo, two newspapers known for their secular and progressive stance, late Thursday.
Journalists trapped as buildings burn
Twenty-eight Daily Star employees were stranded on the building's rooftop for hours as smoke filled the structure, consulting editor Kamal Ahmed told the BBC. "They were gasping for fresh air," he said. Military reinforcements eventually rescued the group, none of whom suffered serious injuries.
Both newspapers sustained extensive damage. The Daily Star, which has published continuously for 35 years, canceled its Friday print edition for the first time. "It is one of the darkest days for independent journalism in Bangladesh," the paper said in a statement.
Smoke was still rising from Prothom Alo's offices when BBC Bangla visited on Friday.
Government condemns attacks
The interim government, led by Yunus, condemned the violence and pledged to bring those responsible to justice. "Attacks on journalists are attacks on truth itself," it said in a statement, warning that the country's democratic transition "must not be derailed by those who thrive on chaos."
A day of national mourning for Hadi was declared for Saturday.
Broader violence and political tensions
Protesters also vandalized and set fire to other prominent sites, including the former home of Bangladesh's first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman-Hasina's father. The unrest comes as the country prepares for elections in February, the first since Hasina's ousting.
Hadi, a vocal critic of India where Hasina remains in exile, had planned to run as an independent candidate in the upcoming poll. He was shot by masked assailants outside a Dhaka mosque on December 12 and later died in a Singapore hospital.
Investigations into his killing are ongoing, with several suspects already detained.
Hasina's legacy and exile
Hasina fled to India in August 2024 after weeks of student-led protests ended her 15-year rule, which critics described as increasingly authoritarian. In November, she was sentenced to death in absentia for crimes against humanity, including the deaths of 1,400 protesters during the 2024 unrest.
Uncertain motives behind media attacks
It remains unclear why protesters targeted the Daily Star and Prothom Alo, though both outlets have faced criticism from supporters of the interim government for their continued scrutiny of its policies. The newspapers were frequent targets of harassment during Hasina's administration as well.
"The country's march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed,"
Muhammad Yunus, interim leader
