The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, an Islamic radical and India-hater, caused chaos in Bangladesh, with mobs reportedly rampaging through Dhaka. They set fire to buildings, including offices of the country’s biggest newspapers.
The government attributed the incidents to “mob violence committed by a few fringe elements.”
Journalists from Daily Star and Prathom Alo said they were trapped inside their offices as mobs ransacked and set the buildings on fire. They described a harrowing wait for rescue until police and later the army intervened.
In Mymensingh, Das, a factory worker accused of blasphemy, was beaten, hanged, and his body set ablaze.
Such was the scale and severity of the outcries that incensed protesters tried to break into the residence of India’s deputy high commissioner in Chittagong.
Streets in other cities were seized by radicals. Rajshahi witnessed violence, where the Indian consulate had been attacked days earlier.
Observers said the attacks on journalists, Hindus, and Indian diplomatic facilities showed growing radical influence and law enforcement’s weakness.
Hadi, 32, had been shot at a rally last week. He was flown to Singapore for treatment but died there. His death triggered widespread violence. It also raised questions about interim administrator Muhammad Yunus’s control.
Cultural centres and political offices were attacked. Dranath Tagore’s cultural centre was vandalised. The Awami League office in Rajshahi was bulldozed. Bangladesh Udichi Shilpigoshthi headquarters was set on fire. The government urged people to reject violence and honour Hadi.
Bangladesh has seen a wave of anti-India protests since the parliamentary election was announced on February 12. Crowds were blocked near Indian diplomatic offices.
However, journalists said law enforcement officers did almost nothing to stop mobs from setting newspaper offices on fire. A semblance of normalcy was restored only when the army stepped in.
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