BANGLADESH ERUPTS IN PROTESTS AFTER ACTIVIST SHARIF OSMAN HADI DIES FROM GUNSHOT WOUNDS

Fri 19 December 2025:

Violent protests have erupted in Bangladesh after the death of a prominent youth leader of last year’s student uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was shot last week in the capital, Dhaka, and died of his injuries on Thursday in hospital in Singapore.

Several buildings, including those housing leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, were set on fire and vandalised overnight, according to authorities. Bangladesh’s interim leader has announced a day of mourning on Saturday and is calling for calm.

Hadi’s body is expected to be flown back to Bangladesh today at 6:05pm (12:05 GMT), one of Hadi’s physicians told Bangladesh’s BSS news agency.

His repatriation comes as mosques today will hold special prayers for Hadi ahead of a national day of mourning scheduled tomorrow, reports BSS.

The 32-year-old protest leader was shot in the head on December 12 in Dhaka while travelling in a battery-powered auto-rickshaw, leaving him critically injured.

After the assassination attempt, Hadi was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment, where physicians reported brain stem damage. He was later evacuated to the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) neurosurgical intensive care unit for further treatment.

He died due to his injuries six days after the attack on Thursday, according to a statement by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Police have launched a manhunt for the attackers, who fired from a motorcycle, releasing photographs of two key suspects and offering a reward of five million taka (about $42,000) for information leading to their arrest.

Hadi was a leading figure in last year’s student-led uprising that ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, helping to launch street protests and campaigns denouncing her rule.

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From a Muslim family in the southern village of Nalchiti, Hadi was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution movement, which describes itself as a “revolutionary cultural platform inspired by the spirit of uprising”.

Following the successful protest movement, Hadi planned to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections in February as an independent candidate.

There are rumours that the gunman apparently escaped to India through the border, although it has not been proven. The protesters say all those who are convicted in India should be repatriated to Bangladesh.

There’s a strong anti-India sentiment in the crowd. They say India always meddles in Bangladesh’s affairs – particularly right before the elections – and that former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been making provocative statements from India, where she is taking shelter.

This is what people are demanding: They’re saying the gunman must be brought to justice as soon as possible, or they will continue to protest.

India ‘does not interfere in Bangladesh’: Bangladeshi embassy in New Delhi

India is closely monitoring Bangladesh’s “internal situation” but will not get involved in domestic affairs, the Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi has said.

“Senior officials in both India and Bangladesh are acutely aware that Bangladesh’s internal situation remains fluid and evolving, requiring thorough and impartial analysis,” the commission’s spokesperson said in a statement.

“Post-uprising phases in any country often give rise to unintended and tragic consequences, a reality underscored by the killing of a widely admired young leader such as [Sharif] Osman Hadi,” it said.

The statement emphasised that while India is “attentive” to ongoing developments in Bangladesh, “it does not interfere” in its neighbour’s political processes.

Protesters have accused India of harbouring members of the previous government, including convicted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Border Guard Bangladesh forces beef up security across Dhaka

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has sent increased security to multiple locations across Dhaka in anticipation of protests as Hadi’s body is repatriated.

Some BGB forces have headed to the airport, where Platform for Revolution told its protesters to gather earlier today.

Others are stationed at Karwan Bazar, near the offices of the Daily Star and Prothom Alo newspapers, and Hotel InterContinental, located a few minutes on foot from the protest site, Shahbag Square, the BGB said in a statement carried by local news outlets.

Jamaat-e-Islami party chief calls for restraint, unity

Shafiqur Rahman, the head of Bangladesh’s Jamaat-e-Islami party, has called for restraint and national unity as protests continue across the capital.

“The anger and emotion among students and the public are justified and understandable,” Rahman said in a statement, warning that any attempt to exploit this sentiment for other interests “cannot be accepted”.

The party chief stressed that attacks on The Daily Star and Prothom Alo newspapers amount to assaults on democracy, freedom of expression and the rule of law, adding that “any just movement must remain peaceful and disciplined”.

He also demanded the immediate identification and punishment of anyone involved in Hadi’s killing.

SOURCE: INDEPENDENT PRESS AND NEWS AGENCIES

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