Who was Osman Hadi; why is Bangladesh on fire over his death?

Violent protests person erupted successful aggregate cities successful Bangladesh aft salient younker person Sharif Osman Hadi died astatine Singapore’s General Hospital connected Thursday.

Hadi died from gunshot injuries sustained during an assassination effort successful Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, past week.

Here is what we cognize truthful far.

Who was Sharif Osman Hadi?

Hadi, 32, was a salient person of Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising.

He acted arsenic a spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha, oregon “Platform for Revolution”, and was readying to basal arsenic a subordinate of parliament for the Dhaka-8 constituency successful the Bijoynagar country of the metropolis successful the upcoming elections, expected successful February 2026.

Hadi was besides an outspoken professional of India, wherever Bangladesh’s ousted Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled pursuing the uprising past year, and its power connected home authorities successful Bangladesh.

Protesters artifact Shahbag Square successful Dhaka, Bangladesh, demanding justness for the sidesplitting of Sharif Osman Hadi, a pupil person who had been undergoing attraction successful Singapore aft being changeable successful the head, successful Dhaka, Bangladesh December 19, 2025 [Mohammad Ponir Hossain/Reuters]

Where, erstwhile and however did Hadi die?

Authorities successful Singapore and Inqilab Mancha announced his decease connected Thursday.

He died successful a infirmary successful Singapore, wherever helium was receiving attraction aft being wounded successful an assassination effort connected December 12. He was changeable successful the caput by 2 assailants connected a motorcycle, which pulled up beside the battery-powered auto-rickshaw helium was travelling in. He was rushed to Dhaka Medical College Hospital.

Hadi was recovered to person suffered encephalon stem harm and was transferred from Dhaka to Singapore General Hospital’s neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit (ICU) connected December 15 for treatment.

“Despite the champion efforts of the doctors … Hadi succumbed to his injuries,” Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said successful a connection connected Thursday.

In a Facebook station precocious connected Thursday, Inqilab Mancha announced: “In the conflict against Indian hegemony, Allah has accepted the large revolutionary Osman Hadi arsenic a martyr.”

On Friday, groups of mourners began to assemble successful the Shahbag neighbourhood successful cardinal Dhaka, awaiting Hadi’s body, which was expected to get successful the superior connected Friday evening, Al Jazeera’s Moudud Ahmmed Sujan reported from Dhaka.

How person Bangladeshi authorities responded to the shooting?

On December 12, Bangladeshi constabulary launched a hunt for the attackers who changeable Hadi.

The country’s counterterrorism unit, the Rapid Action Battalion (RAB) is besides progressive successful this manhunt.

In a quality merchandise connected December 13, the constabulary released stills of CCTV footage of the incident, showing 2 cardinal suspects. Police offered a reward of 5 cardinal taka (about $42,000) for accusation starring to their arrest.

Both men successful the CCTV stills are seen wearing achromatic apparel and glasses. While 1 is wearing a achromatic hoodie, the different is wearing a achromatic formal garment and a wristwatch.

Bangladeshi paper The Daily Star reported that the country’s constabulary and borderline defender person arrested astatine slightest 20 radical linked to the incidental truthful far, but the probe is ongoing.

How person Bangladeshi leaders reacted to Hadi’s death?

The country’s interim authorities head, Muhammad Yunus, expressed his condolences and described Hadi’s decease arsenic “an irreparable nonaccomplishment for the nation”.

“The country’s march towards ideology cannot beryllium halted done fear, terror, oregon bloodshed,” helium said successful a televised code connected Thursday.

The authorities besides announced peculiar prayers astatine mosques aft Friday prayers and a half-day of mourning connected Saturday.

“We are profoundly saddened by the decease of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Manch and autarkic campaigner for Dhaka-8 constituency,” the acting president of the Bangladesh National Party (BNP), Tareq Rahman, wrote connected Facebook.

In a quality connection to section media reports, the National Citizen Party (NCP) said it was “deeply saddened” by Hadi’s decease and expressed condolences to his family.

How person protesters responded to his death?

Following the quality of Hadi’s death, convulsive protests broke retired successful Dhaka and different parts of the state connected Thursday and were continuing connected 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 guarantee Hadi’s security. They besides request the instrumentality of the gunmen, who galore judge person fled to India.

Reporting from Dhaka, Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury said: “It’s mostly students, but besides radical from each walks of life, with immoderate governmental enactment elements arsenic well.

“Their main slogan is ‘We privation justice’ for the slayer of Osman Hadi.

“They’re saying the gunman indispensable beryllium brought to justness arsenic soon arsenic possible, oregon they volition proceed to protest.”

One radical of protesters gathered extracurricular the caput bureau of the country’s starring Bengali-language Prothom Alo daily, which they presumption arsenic taking a pro-India editorial line, successful Dhaka’s Karwan Bazar area. They past surged into the building, according to online portals of assorted starring media outlets.

A fewer 100 metres (yards) away, different radical of protesters pushed into the premises of the Daily Star, besides viewed arsenic pro-India, and acceptable occurrence to the building.

Protesters outcry slogans successful beforehand of the premises of the Prothom Alo regular paper connected Friday [Mahmud Hossain Opu/AP]

The outlet reported that 28 journalists and unit members were trapped successful the burning gathering for 4 hours.

Soldiers and paramilitary borderline guards were deployed extracurricular the 2 buildings to show the situation, but did not instantly instrumentality immoderate enactment to disperse the protesters.

Local media reported that protesters threw stones astatine the Assistant High Commission of India successful Chittagong connected Thursday.

The Prothom Alo paper bureau successful Dhaka is attacked pursuing the decease of Sharif Osman Hadi, a salient pupil leader, connected December 19, 2025 [Abdul Goni/Reuters]

What were the 2024 pupil protests successful Bangladesh about?

In July 2024, students successful Bangladesh took to the streets to protestation against the accepted occupation quota system, nether which jobs were reserved for descendants of Bangladesh’s state fighters successful 1971 and who are mostly regarded arsenic the governmental elite now.

Hasina ordered a brutal crackdown arsenic the protests escalated. Before she was yet ousted and fled to India, wherever she remains successful exile, astir 1,400 radical were killed and much than 20,000 wounded, according to the country’s International Crimes Tribunal (ICT).

In July this year, Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit obtained recorded grounds that the erstwhile Bangladesh person had ordered constabulary to usage “lethal weapons” against the protesters.

Last month, Hasina was convicted, successful absentia, of crimes against humanity and sentenced to decease by the tribunal successful Dhaka. India has truthful acold not agreed to nonstop her backmost to Bangladesh to look justice.

Why has this stirred up choler towards India?

In Dhaka connected Friday, Al Jazeera’s Chowdhury reported: “There’s a beardown anti-India sentiment successful the crowd. They accidental India ever meddles successful Bangladesh’s affairs, peculiarly close earlier the elections – and that erstwhile Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina has been making provocative statements from India, wherever she is taking shelter.”

Now, pursuing Hadi’s death, galore Bangladeshis are sharing theories connected the net that the assailants person fled to India. Some politicians from younker parties person repeated these claims.

Local media quoted Sarjis Alam, a person of the youth-led National Citizen Party (NCP), saying: “The interim government, until India returns assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission to Bangladesh volition stay closed. Now oregon Never. We are successful a war!”

Nadim Hawlader, 32, from Dhaka’s airdrome country and an activistic of a Bangladesh Nationalist Party-affiliated unpaid organisation, told Al Jazeera that Hadi had been “brutally murdered” to soundlessness dissent.

“We person travel to protestation his sidesplitting and what we spot arsenic Indian aggression,” Hawlader said.

He alleged that India had exerted undue power implicit Bangladesh since 1971, and accused New Delhi of backing Sheikh Hasina’s regularisation during the past 17 years, implicit which time, helium claimed, governmental repression and killings took place.

Hawlader besides alleged that the perpetrators had fled to India and said the protests would proceed until “Sheikh Hasina and each those liable for killings are returned”.