Violence erupted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after 32-year-old pro-democracy leader Sharif Osman Hadi, injured in an assassination attempt on December 12, died in a Singapore hospital.

Thousands of protesters took to the streets, setting fire to several buildings, including the offices of the country’s two largest newspapers, Daily Star and Prothom Alo, while also attacking other sites and blocking key roads.

Hadi had been a prominent figure in the 2024 uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who remains in exile in India, and was campaigning for a parliamentary seat in the February 2026 elections.

Authorities launched a manhunt for Hadi’s shooters, offering a reward for information, and the interim government declared a half-day of mourning, The Guardian has reported.

Political tensions are high ahead of the elections, with the Bangladesh Nationalist Party poised to challenge Hasina’s Awami League, while former leader Khaleda Zia remains hospitalized and her son Tarique Rahman is returning from exile.