Bangladesh on edge after Sharif Osman Hadi's death as radicals take over streets

New Delhi: Bangladesh remained on edge on Friday amid appeals for calm from the interim administration, which deployed police and paramilitary forces across the capital Dhaka and other major cities following overnight protests and spiralling violence over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi.

India is keeping a close watch on the developments as radicals threaten diplomats and cultural centres in Bangladesh, highly placed sources told ET. On Friday, Dhaka witnessed massive protests by radicals chanting anti-India slogans, bringing the city to a standstill.

The Md Yunus-led regime said the country was at a critical juncture and warned against efforts to derail what it described as the democratic process.


"At this critical time in our country's history, we are moving through a historic democratic transformation. We cannot and will not allow this progress to be disrupted in any way by a few who capitalise on chaos and ignore the path to peace," said a government statement.

"The upcoming elections and referendums are not just political exercises; they are a serious national commitment. This commitment is inextricably linked to the dream for which Shahid Sharif Osman Hadi sacrificed his life. Honouring his sacrifice and memory requires restraint, responsibility, and an unwavering commitment to rejecting hatred," the government stated.

The violence unleashed by Pakistan- and Jamaat-e-Islami-backed radicals following Hadi's death was an attempt to create an atmosphere that could postpone the elections, a Bangladesh affairs expert told ET.

India is being used as a scapegoat to gloss over the interim regime's failure to maintain law and order and to work towards free and fair elections, the expert said. He added that attacks on the country's two leading media houses - Prothom Alo and The Daily Star - went beyond curbing media freedom, noting that the publications were seen as largely neutral.

This, the expert said, indicates a takeover by radicals who want no voice other than their own. The media houses became soft targets, according to the expert, who did not wish to be named.

The Bangladesh Army may be forced to intervene if the situation deteriorates.