Bangladesh tightens security after youth leader’s killing as media attacks stoke unrest fears

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The unrest after the death of Sharif Osman Hadi has included coordinated mob attacks on major newspapers.

PHOTO: REUTERS

DHAKA – Bangladesh tightened security on Dec 20, deploying police and paramilitary forces in the capital Dhaka ahead of funeral prayers for a slain youth leader and election candidate whose death has

sparked a surge of violence

The unrest in the South Asian nation after the shooting death of Sharif Osman Hadi has included coordinated mob attacks on major newspapers and cultural institutions.

Mr Hadi, 32, a key figure in the student-led uprising in 2024 that toppled long-time Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last week while launching his campaign.

He died on the night of Dec 18 in Singapore after six days on life support.

Bangladesh is to elect a new parliament on Feb 12 – a transition many hope will help the Muslim-majority nation of 175 million people recover from nearly two years of instability and reclaim its position as a regional success story.

But frequent bouts of violent protests and political wrangling among disparate groups including Islamist hardliners have punctured the national sense of euphoria that arose after Hasina was ousted in August 2024.

It has also exposed the limitations of the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, analysts say, raising questions over his grip on governance in the