Bangladesh on the Brink: Media Faces Fury in Anti-India Protests
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Violence outside Indian missions and attacks on Dhaka’s leading media houses signal a dangerous turn as Bangladesh heads into a volatile pre-election phase.
By TRH World Desk
New Delhi, December 19, 2025 — Bangladesh woke up to a night of fire, fear and forewarning. What began as street protests quickly escalated into targeted violence—against Indian diplomatic interests, independent media, secular institutions and political symbols—raising alarm bells in both Dhaka and New Delhi.
Late Thursday night, demonstrators broke through police barricades to stage a sit-in outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram, shouting anti-India and anti-Awami League slogans before being pushed back by security forces, BD News reported. Similar attempts to march towards Indian missions in Khulna forced the shutdown of visa application centres, underscoring the deteriorating security environment.
Hours later, the unrest took an ominous turn. Mobs vandalised and torched the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka’s Karwanbazar—two of Bangladesh’s most influential media institutions. Journalists were trapped for hours amid smoke and flames before the Army escorted them to safety. The message was unmistakable: dissenting voices are no longer collateral damage; they are now targets.
The violence also spread to secular and cultural spaces. Chhaya Naut, a symbol of Bangladesh’s pluralist ethos, was vandalised once again. Residences linked to Awami League leaders were attacked, while bulldozers were used to demolish remnants of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman’s historic Dhanmondi 32 residence—an act heavy with political symbolism.
At the centre of the unrest lies the killing of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, a prominent face of the youth-led July Uprising and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha. Shot during a campaign event earlier this month and later declared dead in Singapore, Hadi’s death has become a rallying cry, intensifying street mobilisation and sharpening political fault lines.
Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus’s decision to declare a national day of mourning and promise strict action has done little to calm fears. With Bangladesh preparing for elections in February 2026 after last year’s regime change, the convergence of anti-India sentiment, attacks on the press and political violence points to a deeper crisis of authority.
For India, the closure of visa centres outside Dhaka is more than a logistical disruption—it is a strategic warning. For Bangladesh, the burning of newsrooms is a chilling signal that the battle ahead may not be confined to ballots alone.
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About The Author
Is there any evidence required for complete failure of Indian diplomacy ?
Neither China nor Bangladesh nor Burma nor Nepal nor Sri Lanka is a friendly country in a diplomatic sense & none of them stood with India & condemned Pakistan over Pahalgam terrorist attack
Event managements & organized boisterous welcomes from diaspora are only proofs of self-promotion & not signs of international standing or stature