Dhaka, 19 December (H.S.): Violent unrest engulfed Bangladesh Thursday night after radical student leader Sharif Osman Hadi succumbed to gunshot wounds in Singapore, igniting mobs that torched leading newspaper offices in Dhaka and assaulted Indian diplomatic sites with anti-India vitriol.

Assassination of Uprising Firebrand Fuels National Fury

Hadi, 32, Inquilab Mancha spokesperson and February 2026 election hopeful renowned for virulent anti-India stance during the 2024 protests ousting Sheikh Hasina to India, fell victim December 12 to masked assailants firing into his head post-mosque in Dhaka's Paltan.

Air-lifted abroad, he died Thursday; police hunt suspects—purported Awami League links—with a 5-million-taka bounty as Yunus brands it a fascist election sabotage.

Press Offices Inferno: Trapped Journalists' Desperate Cries

Protesters razed Prothom Alo in Karwan Bazar then The Daily Star, confining reporters like Zyma Islam who live-streamed Can't breathe, you're killing me pleas; rescuers freed 30 after prolonged blazes quelled by dawn.

Chaos hit Rajshahi's Mujibur residence and Awami League hubs; paramilitaries restored order amid justice chants.

Yunus Pleads Calm, Delhi Fortifies Amid Threats

Interim head Muhammad Yunus mourned Hadi's irreplaceable loss, mandating Saturday's state mourning with probes and restraint before February 12 polls for 300 seats plus 50 women reserves.

Demonstrators stoned Chittagong's Indian Assistant High Commission post-Seven Sisters secession barbs; India summoned Dhaka's envoy, shuttered visas, rejected plots, and urged nationals indoors.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar