DHAKA, Bangladesh: The killing of a prominent Islamic youth leader has triggered attacks on newspaper offices in Bangladesh, and media editors have warned that they face a fight for survival.

The killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, who led last year's student uprising against now deposed Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka while launching his campaign for February's parliamentary election.

As news of his death in a Singapore hospital reached Bangladesh, it set off protests, and vandals began targeting major media outlets and cultural institutions. Offices of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo were among those attacked.

The rioters accused the newspapers of "serving the interests of India and Sheikh Hasina," allegations the editors strongly denied. Hasina fled to India after her ouster and remains in New Delhi despite Dhaka's request for her extradition.

The Editors' Council and the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh, The Daily Star editor Mahfuz Anam organised a protest where they announced that journalists were receiving explicit death threats.

"On social media, we have seen messages saying journalists of The Daily Star and Prothom Alo should be hunted down and killed in their homes," Anam said. "Freedom of expression is no longer the main issue. Now it is about the right to stay alive."

Bangladesh ranks 149 on the World Press Freedom Index. Rights groups say continued attacks on journalists and activists could further shrink civic space ahead of the election.

Editors' Council President and New Age editor Nurul Kabir, who was assaulted while trying to rescue colleagues, has accused attackers of attempting to burn journalists alive inside their offices.

Bangladesh is governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus and is due to elect a new parliament on February 12. The interim government blamed the violence on fringe elements and vowed full justice for the attacks.