Bangladesh uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi dies after shooting
Sharif Osman Hadi, a key leader of Bangladesh’s July Uprising and an election candidate, died in Singapore after being shot in Dhaka. His death triggered protests in the capital. The interim government announced state mourning and promised swift action against those responsible
Dhaka: Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent leader of the July Uprising who was shot last week, died while undergoing treatment at a Singapore hospital after fighting for his life for six days.
Hadi, also a candidate in the scheduled February 12 general elections, died late Thursday. He was shot in the head by masked gunmen last week as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.
The interim government of Muhammad Yunus on Monday sent Hadi to Singapore in an air ambulance for advanced treatment as doctors in Dhaka described his condition “extremely critical”.
In a televised address to the nation late Thursday night, Chief Adviser Yunus announced Hadi’s death and promised swift action to catch his killers.
“Today, I came before you with very heartbreaking news. Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us,” Yunus said.
He vowed to bring those involved in this brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, “No leniency will be shown” to the killers.
“I sincerely call upon all citizens – keep your patience and restraint,” he said.
“Let law enforcement agencies and other relevant organisations have the opportunity to carry out investigations with professionalism,” he said, adding that the state is fully committed to establishing the rule of law.
Hundreds of students and people gathered at the capital’s Shahbagh intersection near Dhaka University campus following the announcement of Hadi’s death and chanted slogans like “Who are you, who am I – Hadi, Hadi”.
A student group, called Jatiya Chhatra Shakti, brought out a mourning procession on the Dhaka University campus and marched to Shahbagh to join the demonstration.
National Citizen Party (NCP), a large offshoot of Students against Discrimination (SAD) that led last year’s violent protest, joined them, chanting anti-India slogans alleging Hadi’s assailants fled to India after committing the murder. They called upon the interim government to close the Indian high commission until they were returned.
“The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh will remain closed. Now or Never. We are in a war!,” said Sarjis Alm, a key leader of NCP.
The Chhatra Shakti burnt an effigy of the home adviser, demanding his resignation for failure to arrest Hadi’s killers.
A group of people, believed to be part of the protesters, attacked the offices of Bangla newspaper Prothom Alo’s office and the nearby Daily Star at the capital’s Karwan Bazar, near the Shahbagh intersection.
Reports said they vandalised several floors while journalists and staff of the newspaper were trapped inside, and the mob ignited a fire in front of the building.
“Several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and later surrounded the building,” a witness said, adding the protesters then set the Daily Star office on fire following the vandalism of a Prothom Alo building.
It remained unclear why both newspapers, known for their passive support for Yunus and his interim government, came under attack.
The social media platforms showed a group of demonstrators also headed towards 32 Dhanmandi, the home of Bangladesh’s founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, regarded as the centre point of Bangladesh’s pre-independence struggle for autonomy for decades.
The house, which was turned into a memorial museum under a trust, was largely demolished with excavators on February 5 this year, while it was set on fire soon after the August 5, 2024, fall of the then Awami League government.
The demonstrators also set on fire the house of former education minister Mohibul Hasan Chowdhury Nowfel in the northeastern port city of Chattagram, while reports of such attacks came from other parts of the country.
In his address, the chief adviser called Hadi an “enemy to the defeated forces and fascist terrorists”, in an apparent reference to deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League.
“Their evil efforts to frighten the revolutionaries will be completely thwarted,” he added.
Yunus said Hadi’s death has caused an irreparable loss to the country’s political and democratic sphere.
“I pray for the eternal peace of his departed soul and convey my deepest sympathy to his bereaved wife, family members, relatives and colleagues,” he said.
He also said that the government will take responsibility for the wife and only child of Hadi, who was a frontline leader of last year’s protests that toppled Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024.
The chief adviser declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday, saying the national flag will be hoisted at half-mast in all government, semi-government, autonomous offices, educational institutions, government and private buildings, and Bangladesh missions abroad.
He said special prayers seeking forgiveness for Hadi’s soul will be organised in every mosque across the country after Friday prayers.
“No one can stop the democratic progress of this country through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed,” he said, adding that the responsibility of realising Hadi’s dream lies on the shoulders of the entire nation.
“Let us be patient, not listen to propaganda and rumours, and refrain from any rash decisions,” Yunus said and urged his countrymen to remain united.
Hadi’s death came hours after his family consented to a surgery to be performed in Singapore as a last-ditch effort to save his life.
The Mancha earlier warned it would stage a sit-in protest at Shahbagh intersection until the attackers were arrested.
“If the killer flees to India, they must be arrested and brought back at any cost through discussions with the Indian government,” it said.
Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) and its rival Jamaat-e-Islami too mourned Hadi’s death.
BNP acting chairman Tarique Rahman expressed deep sorrow over the killing of Hadi, mentioning his untimely demise as “a grave reminder of the human cost of political violence,” The Daily Star reported.
“Together, we must safeguard every citizen and prevent any such incident aiming to destabilise Bangladesh and undermine our democratic aspirations,” Tarique said in a social media post.
A leader of the Inquiab Mancha Mohammad Abdul Ahad said Hadi’s body would be brought home on Friday.
The home adviser earlier announced a reward of Taka 50 lakh for clues leading to the arrest of Hadi’s suspected assailants.
Police have arrested the prime suspect Foysal Karim Masud’s parents, wife and a female friend.
