Lawlessness and violence have engulfed Bangladesh all over again. The fresh unrest stems from the death of a radical Islamist and the convenor of Inqilab Mancha, Sharif Osman Hadi. He died on 18th December 2025, in a Singapore hospital while under treatment for gunshot injuries sustained in an assassination attempt in Dhaka on 12th December. As the news of Hadi’s death emerged, his radical supporters, driven by mindless hatred against India, started attacking the offices of major newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, accusing them of bias.
Prothom Alo and The Daily Star offices attacked by radical Inqilab Mancha mobs
The Bangladeshi media reports that the main office of Prothom Alo in Kawran Bazar in Dhaka was attacked by rioting mobs belonging to the Islamist outfit Inqilab Mancha on 18th December. The police tried to calm the protesting mob; however, the rioters refused to stop their violent actions.
The mob, carrying sticks and rods, vandalised the office, breaking most of its window panes. At around midnight, some protesters entered the Prothom Alo office, threw away tables, chairs, and important documents and set them ablaze in the street.
Over 28 journalists and other staff members were trapped inside when the rioters set the Prothom Alo office building ablaze. Senior journalist Zyma Islam posted on Facebook during the ordeal, saying, “I can’t breathe. So much smoke. I’m inside. You are trying to kill me.”
The firefighters arrived at the scene and rescued those stranded, while the rioters continued their attacks and vandalism. However, after a point, the firefighters were also stranded.
When Editors’ Council President and New Age Editor Nurul Kabir, along with photographer Shahidul Alam, came and attempted to calm the rioters down, they too were attacked and labelled by the mob as “Awami League agents”.
Editor of New Age Newspaper of Bangaldesh Nurul Kabir being attacked by mobsters. pic.twitter.com/gM0Bn7MJkz
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) December 18, 2025
Similar violence and chaos erupted at The Daily Star office.
After much chaos, the staff trapped on the rooftop of The Daily Star office was evacuated. Local media reports that around 25 The Daily Star journalists were rescued from the office after more than four hours.
#WATCH | Bangladesh: Visuals of the aftermath from The Daily Star office in Dhaka, which was burned down by protesters.
— ANI (@ANI) December 19, 2025
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
Taking to Facebook, Mahmud Hasan, a staff member at The Daily Star, wrote, “All The Daily Star staff have just been successfully evacuated to a safe place, thanks to the Bangladesh Army and the Fire Service.”
Sheikh Mujnur Rahman’s Dhanmondi residence vandalised
Meanwhile, the ancestral residence of Bangladesh’s founding president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in Dhanmondi, was vandalised by radical Islamist mobs, again.
#BREAKING: Angry students set fire, vandalized Dhanmondi 32 in Dhaka. This is the ancestral place of Sheikh Mujibur Rehman. This location was attacked at least three times before and completely gutted and ransacked. Reports of attacks on Awami League offices across Bangladesh. pic.twitter.com/5uCxZcN02m
— Aditya Raj Kaul (@AdityaRajKaul) December 18, 2025
It must be recalled that in August 2024, after the forced ouster of Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, the iconic Dhanmondi residence of Mujibur Rahman was vandalised by Islamist ‘protestors’. Visuals of protestors urinating on the statue of Bangladesh’s founding president had also emerged back then.
Protest outside the Indian Assistant High Commission
At around 11 pm on Thursday, a group of anti-India protestors gathered outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Bangladesh’s Chattogram after Osman Hadi’s death, to stage a sit-in protest.
There has been a dramatic surge in anti-India rhetoric in Bangladesh. Reports say that the situation remains tense in Shahbagh, Dhaka as Islamist mobs are giving ‘Boycott India’ calls. Protestors have blocked sections of roads in Shahbagh with roughly 200 protesters being present at the spot.
Earlier on Wednesday, anti-India protestors attempted to march towards Indian diplomatic missions in multiple cities. As a result of the threats from such protests, two Indian Visa Application Centres (IVACs) in Rajshahi and Khulna were closed on Thursday. The protestors also clashed with police.
In Rajshahi, protesters organised under the banner “Bharityo Adhipotto Birodhi July 36 Mancha” (Anti-Indian Hegemony July 36 Platform) began a march from Bhadra Mor towards the Assistant High Commission of India. Police intervened by setting up barricades, leading to clashes as demonstrators attempted to push forward. The procession was ultimately obstructed, preventing it from reaching the Assistant High Commission.
Similar protests erupted in the capital Dhaka on 17th December, where a group under “July Oikya” (July Unity) marched demanding the extradition of deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who fled to India in August 2024 following mass uprising. Police blocked that demonstration near the Indian High Commission in Gulshan, amid chants of anti-India slogans and accusations of Indian interference in Bangladesh’s internal affairs. As a result of this protest, the IVAC in Dhaka was closed yesterday at 2 PM.
