Bangladesh remained on edge a week after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to injuries in a Singapore hospital on December 18 following an assassination attempt in Dhaka. The tense situation worsened on Wednesday after a crude bomb was hurled from a flyover in Dhaka’s Moghbazar area, killing one person on the spot.

The latest incident comes amid a series of violent developments across the country. On Tuesday, political platform Inqilab Moncho held a protest rally at Shahbagh in the capital, demanding justice for Hadi’s assassination. The unrest follows other shocking incidents, including the lynching and burning of Hindu factory worker Dipu Chandra Das in Mymensingh earlier this month.

Meanwhile, Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) acting chairman Tarique Rahman returned to Dhaka on Thursday after 17 years in exile in London. Rahman’s return comes at a critical moment as Bangladesh grapples with escalating violence. The son of former prime minister Khaleda Zia, he is widely seen as a key contender in the country’s general elections scheduled for February 2026.

Here are top updates:

 - Sheikh Hasina accused the Yunus regime of illegally seizing power and curbing religious freedom, saying all communities are being denied the right to practise their faith.

 - Addam Hussain, president of the banned Awami League’s student wing, said Bangladesh is undergoing “Talibanisation,” blaming interim leader Muhammad Yunus for fuelling anti-India rhetoric to appease extremists.

 - Bangladesh saw the return of BNP acting chief Tarique Rahman, with thousands gathering in Dhaka to welcome him back after 17 years in exile, even as the Christian community observed the festival.

 - Tarique Rahman addressed supporters in Dhaka, urging people to “build the country together” and calling for a safe, inclusive Bangladesh.

 - Tarique Rahman met his mother Khaleda Zia at the hospital after his Dhaka rally, spending about 90 minutes before returning to his Gulshan residence.

 - Days after Dipu Das was burnt alive, 29-year-old Amrit Mondal alias Samrat was beaten to death by locals in Rajbari’s PangshaUpazila over alleged extortion.

 - Sharif Osman Hadi’s brother alleged that a faction within Muhammad Yunus-led interim government planned his killing to derail the upcoming election, holding those in power responsible, PTI reported.

 - The Awami League’s student wing claimed Tarique Rahman’s return was part of a “backdoor deal” for a one-sided election, warning it would deepen polarisation and fuel “fascist politics,” ANI reported.

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