Security has been beefed up at Indian diplomatic facilities in Bangladesh’s Sylhet city following unrest linked to the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, PTI reported officials as saying.
Extra police and security force personnel were deployed at the Indian Assistant High Commission office, the official residence of the Assistant High Commissioner and a visa application centre to prevent any disturbance. Authorities said the move was taken as a precaution amid growing tension.
Additional Deputy Commissioner (Media) of the Sylhet Metropolitan Police, Saiful Islam, said the measures were aimed at ensuring that "no third party can exploit the situation". According to police, the reinforcements began early on Friday morning and security personnel remained on duty throughout the night.
The heightened alert followed calls by political group Gano Odhikar Parishad to surround the Assistant High Commission office after the death of Hadi, who was the spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha. The group accused external influence while protesting his killing.
Reports said that Inqilab Mancha activists held a sit-in near the Sylhet Central Shaheed Minar, where they raised slogans criticising what they described as Indian dominance.
Hadi was a key figure in last year’s student-led protests that resulted in the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. He was also contesting the general elections scheduled for February 12.
Hadi's killing and protests in Bangladesh
The 32-year-old leader was shot in the head by unidentified gunmen during an election campaign in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on December 12. He later died in a Singapore hospital on Thursday while receiving treatment.
After his death, several parts of Bangladesh witnessed violence and vandalism. In Chattogram, stones were thrown at the residence of the Indian Assistant High Commissioner on Thursday, officials said.
Hadi was buried on Saturday near the Dhaka University mosque, beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. His funeral was held under strict security arrangements, with tens of thousands of people attending.
