Bangladesh Protests Live: ‘There’s no law & order, Yunus is backing them’, says ex-minister as mobs go on rampage

A demonstrator has blamed Muhammed Yunus, the interim government’s head, for Hadi’s death.

Bayezid, who came to Dhaka from Mirpur for protests, said the “failed interim government bears full responsibility” for Hadi’s death.

“Hadi’s death is an irreparable loss for the country and the nation. We have lost a strong voice, a patriot. The failed interim government bears full responsibility. Those involved in Hadi’s killing must be brought to justice quickly. We will not return home until justice is served,” Bayezid told Dhaka Tribune.

Demonstrations that intensified on Thursday have continued into Friday and have got bigger in Dhaka’s Shahbagh neighbourhood, according to the newspaper.

The ongoing political violence and anti-India campaign in Bangladesh are an appeal to anti-India elements in the country ahead of the elections, according to Harsh Vardhan Shringla, a former foreign secretary who is currently serving as a Rajya Sabha MP.

Shringla said that the escalating campaign against Indian missions is being orchestrated by those who are opposed to India.

“This is a way to ratchet up pressure and appeal to anti-India elements before the elections. Some elements within the ruling interim administration have followed this policy, and what we are seeing is an attempt to cater to those sentiments, which, in my view, are a minority sentiment in Bangladesh, but nonetheless are making their voices heard in today’s environment,” said Shringla, according to ANI.

In the wake of ongoing violence in the country Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has called an urgent meeting tonight.

The BNP’s Standing Committee will be held tonight at 8:30 pm at the party chairperson’s office in Dhaka and Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman will preside virtually from London, according to Dhaka Tribune.

Rahman is scheduled to return to Bangladesh later this month ahead of elections in the country in February. He has been living in a London in a self-imposed exile since 2008. He is the son of former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia.

Amid ongoing political violence and anti-India campaign in Bangladesh, Congress MP Shashi Tharoor has said the brewing hostility in the country is very worrying.

Tharoor said he was very disappointed with the developments in Bangladesh and said India could not abandon the people of the country.

“This is a relation we have a great stake in. After all, we were instrumental in freedom of Bangladesh in 1971 and after all these years, we can’t suddenly abandon the people of Bangladesh. At the same time the kind of hostility that is being drummed up against Indians, against people who deemed to be on the Indian side is very worrying,” said Tharoor, who chairs the parliamentary external affairs committee.

VIDEO | Congress MP Shashi Tharoor (@ShashiTharoor) on violent protests in Bangladesh, says, "I am very disappointed by this news coming from Bangladesh. The Foreign Affairs Committee of Parliament just issued a report in which we urged the government to engage constructively… pic.twitter.com/Tx5xeJNVSE

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 19, 2025

As mobs are running amok in Bangladesh, burning down newspaper offices and attacking whoever they wish to, former information minister Mohammad A Arafat has said there is no law and order in the country and these mobs are after all things secular.

In an interview with CNN-News 18, Arafat said that mobs are not just targeting political opponent but cultural centres of Bangladesh.

Flagging attacks on the offices of Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers and cultural centres, Arafat said, “They attacked Chhayanaut, which is cultural centre of Bangladesh. They attacked Mohibul’s father [former education minister]. They are targeting liberals. Anything represents secular political values they are against it. Younis is backing this group. Any voice against radicals is being attacked.”

Arafat said that there is no place for Bangladesh in Yunus-run Bangladesh. He added that the spirit of the 1971 independence movement was under attack as Islamist mobs run amok on the streets.

“Even critics of Awami League are attacked now. The spirit of ’71 is under attack now. Pro-Pakistan elements are strong now. When we were in power, people wanted change. They thought they will get better but see what they got. Extremists. They don’t believe in democracy,” said Arafat.

The ongoing wave of political violence and anti-India protests in Bangladesh after Hadi’s death appear to be managed to create an atmosphere of fear and instability ahead of the elections to help Islamist forces in the country, sources tracking developments on the ground told CNN-News 18.

Sources have said that vested interests are deliberately worsening the security situation in Bangladesh to delay elections by building a narrative that elections are unsafe. They added that such a delay would allow radical elements to consolidate themselves in the country.

Read the full story here.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: The following are the photographs of destructions cause in Bangladesh overnight.

Aftermath of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was undergoing treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka. AP

Bangladesh army stands guard at the premises of the Prothom Alo daily newspaper after angry protesters set it on fire. AP

A firefighter works inside the building of vandalised Prothom Alo newspaper’s office. Reuters

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Asif Mahmud Sajeeb Bhuiyan, who recently resigned from his position as an advisor to the interim government of Bangladesh, is expressing fears of attacks and vandalism in a video message posted on Facebook.

He commented that there is a risk of attacks and sabotage in the “movement seeking justice” over the death of Osman Hadi. He urged locals to remain vigilant to ensure that “no one can commit terrorism” or “rescue their own individual or group interests” in the face of Osman Hadi.

“In order to incite division over this incident, various vested interests have attacked and set fire to many places, including the media and religious institutions,” he said in a video published on his Facebook page.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: A senior journalist who asked to remain anonymous said he recalled the details of the violent protests that broke out on Thursday. “Journalists in Bangladesh are being arrested. Those who suported july protests are also being targeted. If you criticise the government, either gov will target, or july protestors will target,” the journalist told CNN-News18.

“My office is opposite daily star. A lot of the army was deployed. Police is on the streets. One journalist in Khulna was shot dead by people,” the journalist furthered.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Here’s a look at the timeline of everything that ultimately led to the chaos in Bangladesh.

1.) Osman Hadi Killed: ‘Masked attackers shot Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, a week ago as he was leaving a mosque in the Bangladeshi capital Dhaka, wounding him in the ear.’

2.) Political Operatives made false accusations and linked the killing to India & Sheikh Hasina, as Hadi was a staunch Critic of India & Hasina

3.) Bangladesh sought India’s cooperation in the probe

4.) India rejects Bangladesh’s Assertion says ‘India will never let its soil to be used against Bangladesh’

5.) Indian HC Pranay Verma was summoned on Dec 14

6.) 15 Dec NCP Leader made a provocative statement, ‘detach seven sisters’

7.) 17 Dec Groups in Bangladesh gave a call to march to the Indian HC

8 .) 17 Dec India summoned the Bangladesh HC in Delhi to lodge a protest and raise the issue ot safety of diplomats and the diplomatic building in Dhaka

9.) 17 Dec Protest took place, anti-India speeches and slogans were raised in Dhaka at the Indian HC

10.) 18 Dec – Protest at Rajshahi Visa centre

11.) 18 Dec Night — Hadi Demise Announces

12.) 18-19 Intervening Night – Protests broke out in Dhaka and across Bangladesh, with two prominent media houses being vandalised by the protesters. Authorities are still struggling to bring the situation under control.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: The body of the July uprising leader, who died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days, will arrive in Bangladesh in the evening. Hadi was shot dead by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign in central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.

Security meassures are being undertaken for his arrival amid violent protests.

An activist holds a poster of Sharif Osman Hadi, senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha, who was shot outside a mosque, during a demonstration to condemn the attack in Dhaka on December 15, 2025.- AFP

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: The US Embassy in Dhaka released a statement mourning the loss of Bangladeshi youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi. “The U.S. Embassy joins the people of Bangladesh in mourning the loss of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi and offers our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters,” the embassy said in a statement.

The U.S. Embassy joins the people of Bangladesh in mourning the loss of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi and offers our deepest condolences to his family, friends, and supporters. pic.twitter.com/gpkdn2njqD

— U.S. Embassy Dhaka (@usembassydhaka) December 19, 2025

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Amid the chaos in Bangladesh, a post by a Prothom Alo journalist became viral. The journalist named Zyama Islam wrote how she was unable to breathe while she was stuck in the building, which was set on fire by the protesters.

“I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke inside. I’m inside. You are killing me,” she wrote in the post. Journalists were rescued from the building on Friday morning.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Amid the chaos, reports are emerging that a Hindu man was lynched by a mob over alleged blasphemy in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district on Thursday night. The incident occurred at a time when the country continued to witness widespread unrest following the death of prominent July Uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, BBC Bangla reported.

As per the report, the victim was named Dipu Chandra Das, was a young garment factory worker living as a tenant in the Dubalia Para area of Bhaluka Upazila. According to police, a group of locals accused him of making derogatory remarks about Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) and attacked him around 9 pm.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman condemned the killing of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, mentioning his untimely demise as “a grave reminder of the human cost of political violence.”

In an official Facebook post on Thursday, Tarique said Hadi was a brave political activist and a fearless voice who consistently stood against injustice.

Acting chairman of Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), Tarique Rahman, poses for a portrait in a hotel in south-west London on December 30, 2023. (Photo: Henry Nicholls/AFP)

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: The following are the 11 events that occurred during the overnight protests over the death of a Bangladeshi youth leader:

A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader who had been receiving treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 19, 2025. File Image/Reuters

All on the same day:
1. Attacks on the offices and residences of the Indian High Commission in Khulna and Chattogram.
2. Vandalism and arson at the Dhaka headquarters of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
3. Fresh arson and vandalism at Dhanmondi 32.
4. Vandalism and arson at the Chhayanaut office.
5. Vandalism and arson at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre.
6. In Uttara, 32 shops were vandalised and the house of an Awami League leader was set on fire.
7. Vandalism at the Daily Star–Prothom Alo offices in Rajshahi.
8. In Mymensingh, a Hindu youth was lynched—beaten to death after being tied to a tree—on allegations of blasphemy.
9. Renewed arson and vandalism at the residence of late Chattogram mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
10. Arson at the residence of former minister Bir Bahadur.
11. Attack on journalist Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: The following are the 11 events that occurred during the overnight protests over the death of a Bangladeshi youth leader:

A group of people set fire to The Daily Star newspaper office building, following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a student leader who had been receiving treatment in Singapore after being shot in the head, in Dhaka, Bangladesh, December 19, 2025. File Image/Reuters

All on the same day:
1. Attacks on the offices and residences of the Indian High Commission in Khulna and Chattogram.
2. Vandalism and arson at the Dhaka headquarters of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star.
3. Fresh arson and vandalism at Dhanmondi 32.
4. Vandalism and arson at the Chhayanaut office.
5. Vandalism and arson at the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre.
6. In Uttara, 32 shops were vandalised and the house of an Awami League leader was set on fire.
7. Vandalism at the Daily Star–Prothom Alo offices in Rajshahi.
8. In Mymensingh, a Hindu youth was lynched—beaten to death after being tied to a tree—on allegations of blasphemy.
9. Renewed arson and vandalism at the residence of late Chattogram mayor Mohiuddin Chowdhury.
10. Arson at the residence of former minister Bir Bahadur.
11. Attack on journalist Nurul Kabir, editor of New Age.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: In the recent protests, multiple offices of former PM Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League were vandalised by protesters in Bangladesh. However, this is not something new, as the party has been facing scrutiny since the fall of the Hasina regime.

In June this year, Firstpost spoke to an Awami League worker, who shared the plight of the party members stuck in an unstable Bangladesh. The worker, who asked to remain anonymous, emphasised how the members of the banned party are still “living like prisoners” in their own country.

People climb the statue of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman at the Bijoy Sarani area, as they celebrate the resignation of the Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on August 5. File image/AFP

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Amid the recent spate of chaos, reports are emerging that Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rehman’s ancestral home in Dhanmondi 32 was vandalised and set to fire yet again.

Apart from this, several offices of the erstwhile ruling party, Awami League, were also attacked and set ablaze. It is pertinent to note that Rehman’s home was first vandalised back in February this yearm during a live address from his daughter and deposed PM Sheikh Hasina, who have been seeking refuge in India.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: In a statement released on Friday morning, Bangladesh’s Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus declared one day of state mourning on Saturday for Osman Hadi and vowed to bring the killers to justice.

“All the criminals involved in this heinous killing will be identified and prosecuted quickly. No leniency will be shown in this regard,” Yunus said in his address.

Bangladesh interim advisor Mohammad Yunus has repeatedly pushed for the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (Saarc) grouping to be revived. Reuters

On the day of mourning, Yunus said that the national flag will be flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, educational institutions, as well as public and private buildings across the country and at Bangladesh missions abroad.

Bangladesh’s two largest newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, will not publish on Friday after they suspended operations in the wake of overnight attacks in their respective offices.

The online services of both media outlets have also been largely disrupted. Employees of both news outlets were instructed to immediately vacate the premises following the sudden vandalism and arson.

#WATCH | Bangladesh: Visuals of the aftermath from The Daily Star office in Dhaka, which was burned down by protesters.

After the death of Osman Hadi, a key leader in the protests against Sheikh Hasina, Bangladesh has erupted in unrest, and two newspaper offices have been set… pic.twitter.com/dpKn5h97fI

— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025

Both the offices now remain shut.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Sharif Osman Hadi, aged 32, emerged as a prominent face of the July-August 2024 uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina after 15 years in power.

He was a spokesperson and leading organiser of Inquilab Mancha, a radical political and cultural platform that gained traction during the mass protests and later positioned itself as a defender of what it called the “July warriors” — those who participated in the uprising.

Hadi was widely described as a “frontline” figure during the movement, frequently mobilising youth groups and students, and articulating a political narrative of anti-establishment rhetoric with strong nationalist and anti-India positions.

Bangladesh Protests Live Updates: Overnight unrest erupted in an already unstable Bangladesh after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of the country’s 2024 pro-democracy uprising. Thousands took to the streets of the country’s capital, Dhaka, on Thursday and early Friday, demanding justice for the slain activist.

Hadi died in a hospital in Singapore after succumbing to gunshot injuries sustained in an assassination attempt last week. Violent demonstrations rapidly spread from Dhaka to other parts of the country, with protesters raising “anti-India” slogans.

Protests in Bangladesh after death of Sharif Osman Hadi. PTI

Some even marched toward the Indian diplomatic premises and attacked properties linked to the former ruling Awami League. Protesters in the southwestern city of Rajshahi tried to march toward the office of a regional Indian diplomat. However, the Bangladeshi police soon stopped the procession.