Protesters attacked the headquarters of two leading daily newspapers in the Bangladeshi capital, Dhaka, on Thursday night, as thousands took to the streets following the death of a key leader from last year’s mass uprising.

Sharif Osman Hadi died a week after being shot by unknown assailants.

Mr Hadi, a spokesman for the Inqilab Mancha cultural group and a harsh critic of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and Indian influence, died in a Singapore hospital where he had been evacuated for advanced care.

He was shot in the head on December 12 when two men on a motorbike attacked him while he was travelling by rickshaw in Dhaka.

Investigators said they had identified the assailants and believed they might have fled to neighbouring India.

Protests erupted across Dhaka and other parts of the country shortly after the interim administration announced Mr Hadi’s death on Thursday evening.

Muhammad Yunus, head of the interim administration, declared a day of mourning in a televised address and called for public patience.

After midnight, groups moved to Karwan Bazar and attacked the offices of two newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, which they accused of serving Indian interests in the Muslim-majority country.

The mob vandalised and set fire to the offices, trapping journalists and staff members inside.

Firefighters rescued several people using ladders, and army contingents were later deployed in front of the buildings amid the demonstration.

Meanwhile, footage from private broadcaster Jamuna TV showed protesters using a bulldozer to demolish the regional office of Hasina’s Awami League in the northern city of Rajshahi.

Similar protests were reported in the port city of Chattogram and the southern city of Khulna.

(dpa/NAN)