Violent protests have erupted in several Bangladeshi cities following the death of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi on Thursday at Singapore General Hospital.
Hadi died from gunshot wounds sustained in an assassination attempt in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka last week.
Here’s what we know so far:
Who is Sharif Osman Hadi?
Hadi, 32, was a prominent leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising.
He is the spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha (Platform for Revolution) and was scheduled to run as a member of parliament for Dhaka 8 constituency in the city’s Bijoynagar district in the next elections scheduled for February 2026.
Hadi was also an outspoken critic of India, where Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled after last year’s riots, and of India’s influence on Bangladesh’s domestic politics.
When, where and how did Hadi die?
Authorities in Singapore and Inklub Mancha announced his death on Thursday.
He died in a Singapore hospital where he was being treated for injuries sustained in an assassination attempt on December 12. He was shot in the head by two assailants on a motorbike who stopped next to the battery-powered autorickshaw he was riding in and was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.
Hadi was found to have sustained brain stem damage and was transferred from Dhaka to the Singapore General Hospital’s neurosurgical intensive care unit (ICU) on December 15 for treatment.
“Despite the best efforts of doctors, Mr Hadi succumbed to his injuries,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
“In the struggle against Indian hegemony, Allah has accepted the great revolutionary Osman Hadi as a martyr,” Inkirab Mancha announced in a Facebook post late Thursday.
Al Jazeera’s Mudud Ahmad Sujan reported from Dhaka that a group of mourners had begun gathering in the Shahbagh area of central Dhaka, awaiting Hadi’s body, which was due to arrive in the capital on Friday night.
How did Bangladeshi authorities respond to the shooting incident?
On December 12, Bangladesh police began searching for the person who shot Hadi dead.
The country’s anti-terrorism force, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), is also participating in the search.
In a Dec. 13 news release, police released still images from surveillance camera footage of the incident, showing the two main suspects. Police have offered a reward of 5 million taka (approximately $42,000) for information leading to his arrest.
Still images from surveillance cameras show both men wearing black clothes and glasses. One person is wearing a black hoodie and the other is wearing a black dress shirt and watch.
Bangladeshi newspaper Daily Star reported that the country’s police and border guards have so far arrested at least 20 people in connection with the incident, but the investigation is continuing.
How did Bangladeshi leaders react to Hadi’s death?
The head of the country’s interim government, Muhammad Yunus, expressed his condolences, calling Hadi’s death an “irreparable loss to the country.”
“This country’s march towards democracy cannot be stopped by fear, terrorism or bloodshed,” he said in a televised address Thursday.
The government also announced special prayers at mosques after Friday prayers and a half-day of mourning on Saturday.
“We are deeply saddened by the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inklub Manch and independent candidate for Dhaka 8 constituency,” Tareq Rahman, acting leader of the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), wrote on Facebook.
In a press statement responding to local media reports, the National Civic Party (NCP) said it was “deeply saddened” by Hadi’s death and expressed its condolences to Hadi’s family.
How did protesters react to his death?
News of Hadi’s death sparked violent protests in Dhaka and other parts of the country on Thursday, which continued on Friday.
Demonstrators are demanding the resignation of the heads of the interior and justice ministries, saying authorities failed to ensure Hadi’s safety. They are also demanding the return of the militants, who many believe have fled to India.
Reporting from Dhaka, Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chaudhry said: “Most of the participants are students, but there are also people from all walks of life, and some include elements from political parties.
“Their main slogan is ‘We want justice’ for the killers of Osman Hadi.
“They say the shooter should be brought to justice as soon as possible or they will continue to protest.”
One group of protesters gathered in front of the headquarters of one of the country’s leading Bengali daily newspapers, Prothom Alo, in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area, which they view as having a pro-India editorial line. According to various leading media online portals, they then rushed into the building.
A few hundred meters (yards) away, another group of protesters broke into the premises of the Daily Star newspaper, also believed to be pro-India, and set the building on fire.
The outlet reported that 28 journalists and staff were trapped in the burning building for four hours.
Soldiers and paramilitary border guards were deployed outside the two buildings to monitor the situation, but no immediate action was taken to disperse the protesters.
Local media reported that protesters threw stones at the Indian High Commissioner in Chittagong on Thursday.
What were the 2024 student protests in Bangladesh about?
In July 2024, students in Bangladesh took to the streets to protest against the traditional employment quota system. Under this system, jobs were given to people who were descendants of Bangladeshi freedom fighters in 1971 and are now considered primarily to be part of the political elite.
As protests intensified, Hasina ordered a brutal crackdown. She was eventually deported and fled to India, where she remains in exile, killing nearly 1,400 people and injuring more than 20,000, according to the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).
In July, Al Jazeera’s investigative unit obtained recorded evidence showing that a former Bangladeshi leader had ordered police to use “deadly weapons” against demonstrators.
Last month, Hasina was found guilty of crimes against humanity in absentia by a Dhaka court and sentenced to death. India has so far not agreed to send her back to Bangladesh to stand trial.
Why has this caused anger against India?
In Dhaka on Friday, Al Jazeera’s Chaudhry reported: “There is strong anti-India sentiment among the crowd. They say India is constantly meddling in Bangladesh’s affairs, especially right before elections, and former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been making provocative statements from her home in India.”
After Hadi’s death, many Bangladeshis are now sharing the theory online that the attackers fled to India. Some Youth Party politicians have repeated these claims.
Local media quoted Sarjith Alam, leader of the youth-led National Citizens’ Party (NCP), as saying, “The caretaker government says that the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh will be closed until India brings back Hadi Bai’s assassins. Now or never. We are at war!”
Nadim Howlader, a 32-year-old activist from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party’s volunteer organization from Dhaka’s airport area, told Al Jazeera that Hadi was “brutally murdered” to silence dissent.
“We came to protest his killing and what we consider to be an invasion of India,” Holderer said.
He alleged that India has been exercising undue influence over Bangladesh since 1971 and that New Delhi supported Sheikh Hasina’s rule for the past 17 years, during which political repression and killings took place.
Holada also claimed that the perpetrators had fled to India and said the protests would continue until “Sheikh Hasina and all those responsible for the killings return home.”
