Dhaka, December 19 (ANI): An uneasy calm prevails in Dhaka and several other cities of Bangladesh following intense unrest late Thursday night after the death of Inqilab Moncho convenor Sharif Osman bin Hadi. Mobs attacked media houses, political offices, cultural institutions, and private residences, causing widespread vandalism, arson, and road blockades, BD News24 reported.
One of the most serious incidents occurred at Karwan Bazar, where the offices of English-language daily The Daily Star and Bangla daily Prothom Alo were targeted. In Chattogram, protesters staged a sit-in outside the Indian Assistant High Commission.
Journalists at The Daily Star reported that a mob, after vandalizing the Prothom Alo office, moved toward their building. Staff attempted to evacuate as the crowd reached the ground floor, setting parts of the building on fire. Twenty-eight people became trapped on the 10th-floor rooftop, with a canteen worker injured while trying to escape using an external fire-exit ladder. Firefighters and army personnel later evacuated the trapped staff after more than four hours.
Editors’ Council President and New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, along with photographer Shahidul Alam, attempted to calm the crowd but were harassed. Kabir was verbally abused and physically jostled, according to circulating videos.
Following the attacks, both Prothom Alo and The Daily Star announced they would not publish Friday editions, with online operations nearly paralyzed.
Violence spread beyond Karwan Bazar. In Dhanmondi, the cultural institution Chhayanaut was vandalized and set on fire. In Rajshahi, a local Awami League office was demolished using a bulldozer. In Chattogram, protesters torched the residence of former city mayor ABM Mohiuddin Chowdhury’s family. Road blockades and marches disrupted traffic across multiple districts, including Jhalakathi and Barisal, with protesters raising slogans against India and the Awami League.
Student protests erupted in Dhaka and elsewhere, with participation from the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), Jatiyatabadi Chhatra Dal, Chhatra Union, and Jagannath University students. Female students from Nawab Faizunnesa Chowdhurani Hall also joined demonstrations.
Amid the escalating violence, Inqilab Moncho issued a late-night Facebook appeal urging restraint. The organization condemned vandalism and arson, warning that such actions weaken Bangladesh as a state. “As the February elections approach, consider who truly benefits if unrest is created in the country,” the statement said, calling on citizens to cooperate with the government and maintain stability.
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