Outside Dhaka, protesters in the northwestern city of Rajshahi used bulldozers to demolish an office of the Awami League, the party formerly led by Hasina.
Bangladesh was plunged into fresh turmoil this week as violent protests erupted across the country following the death of a prominent youth leader linked to last year’s student-led uprising that forced former prime minister Sheikh Hasina from power.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was shot in Dhaka last week and later flown to Singapore for treatment. He succumbed to his injuries on Thursday, triggering widespread anger among supporters who accuse authorities of failing to protect figures associated with the protest movement.
According to Al Jazeera in live broadcast on Friday, demonstrations quickly escalated into violence in several cities.
In the capital, protesters set fire to the historic home of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Bangladesh’s founding president and the assassinated father of Sheikh Hasina. The residence had already been attacked twice during unrest last year, underscoring its symbolic role in the country’s political divisions.
Outside Dhaka, protesters in the northwestern city of Rajshahi used bulldozers to demolish an office of the Awami League, the party formerly led by Hasina.
Major highways were blocked in multiple districts, disrupting transport and commerce, while clashes were reported between demonstrators and security forces.
Unrest also spread to the port city of Chittagong, where protesters targeted the Indian Assistant High Commission. The attack reflected growing anti-India sentiment since Hasina fled to New Delhi following her ouster, with critics accusing India of backing her government.
Media outlets were also drawn into the violence. In Dhaka, demonstrators attacked several leading newspapers accused by critics of holding pro-India positions, including Prothom Alo and the English-language Daily Star.
An overnight arson attack on The Daily Star’s newsroom left dozens of journalists and staff trapped inside as smoke engulfed the building.
One reporter, Zyma Islam, described the ordeal in a Facebook post written during the incident.
“I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me,” she wrote.
Firefighters managed to bring the blaze under control at around 1:40 a.m. local time and rescued 27 employees. No fatalities were reported, but the attack forced the newspaper to suspend publication for the first time since its founding.
“This is a dark day for independent journalism in Bangladesh,” the paper’s consulting editor, Kamal Ahmed, told AFP. “We were forced to halt production because our newsroom was attacked and our staff’s lives were put at risk.”
Human rights groups and media advocates condemned the violence, warning that attacks on journalists and historic sites signal a dangerous slide toward lawlessness.
Authorities have yet to announce any arrests related to Hadi’s killing or the subsequent attacks, though officials said security has been tightened in major cities.
As tensions remain high, observers fear that Bangladesh’s fragile post-Hasina transition could be further destabilized unless political leaders move quickly to restore calm and ensure accountability.