Bangladesh Protests Updates: Bangladesh's interim government on Friday urged citizens to resist violence by “fringe elements” as the body of a prominent youth leader arrived here from Singapore, amid fresh unrest in the capital following overnight rampages triggered by his death.
According to police, alleged radical right-wing activists set fire to the main office of the left-leaning Udichi Shilpigoshthi in the capital shortly after Sharif Osman Hadi's body arrived in Dhaka from Singapore, where he had been undergoing treatment for fatal gunshot wounds inflicted by masked gunmen on December 12.
“The arson destroyed everything (inside Udichi's office)," said Jamshed Anwar, general secretary of the country's largest cultural organisation, founded in 1968.
The blaze has been brought under control, the fire service said. A large number of police, BGB, and army members are deployed in front of the office. Hadi was one of the leaders who had taken part in the student-led protests last year, termed as the July Uprising, and a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
Osman Haidi's body arrived in Bangladesh
The body of Hadi, who was the spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at around 6 pm local time on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, amid tight security and widespread public mourning, state-run news agency BSS reported, quoting Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam.
Members of the Bangladesh Army, Armed Forces Battalion (AFB) and police were deployed in large numbers to maintain security when Hadi's body was taken out of the airport, it added.
Yuns urges for peace
In a televised address to the nation on late Thursday, interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus vowed to bring those involved in Hadi's brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, “no leniency will be shown” to the killers. He also urged citizens to keep "patience and restraint”.
However, various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram, soon after Yunus confirmed Hadi's death.
Osman Hadi's funeral today
Yunus has declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday. The time of Hadi's funeral has been changed to 2 pm, the press wing of the interim government of Bangladesh has announced. It said the funeral prayer will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at 2 pm on Saturday. Earlier, it was announced that the funeral prayer would be held at 2:30 pm.
Those wishing to attend the janaza have been specially requested not to carry any bags or heavy items. In a social media post, Inqilab Mancha said, "Upon the family's wishes, a decision has been taken to bury Hadi beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and to hold his funeral prayer after Zuhr tomorrow at Manik Mia Avenue."
Newspaper fails to publish for first time in 27 years
Executive Editor of Bangladesh's leading daily Prothom Alo, Sajjad Sharif, on Friday said that miscreants vandalised and set fire to the media house, forcing journalists to flee the office and halting publication of the newspaper and its online platform.
Speaking to ANI on the incident, Sharif said the attack took place late last night while journalists were working on the next day's newspaper and online content. He said the incident followed public anger after the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, described as one of the stewards of last year's uprising.
"There was anger in society, and miscreants diverted that anger towards demolishing newspapers. They attacked us, our journalists were scared to death and had to flee the office," he said.
Sharif said that due to the attack, Prothom Alo could not publish its print edition today, and its online platform has remained offline since last night. "Since our establishment in 1998, in 27 years, this is the first time we have failed to publish our newspaper. It is the darkest night for newspapers," he added.
(With inputs from agency)