Hadi’s death has led to protests, anti-India sentiment and attacks on newspapers seen as pro-India in Bangladesh.
Violent protests have erupted in multiple cities in Bangladesh after prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi died at Singapore’s General Hospital on Thursday.
Hadi died from gunshot injuries sustained during an assassination attempt in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, last week.
Who was Sharif Osman Hadi?
Hadi, 32, was a prominent leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising.
He acted as a spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha, or “Platform for Revolution”, and was planning to stand as a member of parliament for the Dhaka-8 constituency in the Bijoynagar area of the city in the upcoming elections, expected in February 2026.
Hadi was also an outspoken critic of India, where Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled following the uprising last year, and its influence on domestic politics in Bangladesh. Where, when and how did Hadi die?
Authorities in Singapore and Inqilab Mancha announced his death on Thursday.
He died in a hospital in Singapore, where he was receiving treatment after being wounded in an assassination attempt on December 12. He was shot in the head by two assailants on a motorcycle, which pulled up beside the battery-powered auto-rickshaw he was travelling in. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. Hadi was found to have suffered brain stem damage and was transferred from Dhaka to Singapore General Hospital’s neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) on December 15 for treatment.
“Despite the best efforts of the doctors … Hadi succumbed to his injuries,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement on Thursday.
How have Bangladeshi leaders reacted to Hadi’s death?
The country’s interim government head, Muhammad Yunus, expressed his condolences and described Hadi’s death as “an irreparable loss for the nation”.
“The country’s march towards democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed,” he said in a televised speech on Thursday.
How have protesters responded to his death?
Following the news of Hadi’s death, violent protests broke out in Dhaka and other parts of the country on Thursday and were continuing on Friday.
Protesters are demanding the resignation of the heads of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law, accusing the authorities of failing to ensure Hadi’s security. They also demand the return of the gunmen, who many believe have fled to India.
Reporting from Dhaka, Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury said: “It’s mostly students, but also people from all walks of life, with some political party elements as well.
“Their main slogan is ‘We want justice’ for the killer of Osman Hadi.
“They’re saying the gunman must be brought to justice as soon as possible, or they will continue to protest.”
One group of protesters gathered outside the head office of the country’s leading Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily, which they view as taking a pro-India editorial line, in Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area. They then surged into the building, according to online portals of various leading media outlets.
A few hundred metres (yards) away, another group of protesters pushed into the premises of the Daily Star, also viewed as pro-India, and set fire to the building.
The outlet reported that 28 journalists and staff members 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 did not immediately take any action to disperse the protesters. Local media reported that protesters threw stones at the Assistant High Commission of India in Chittagong on Thursday.
Source: aljazeera.com/news
