Who was Osman Hadi?
Hadi was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha platform, Bangladesh’s socio-cultural platform that was established following the July 2024 uprising. The 32-year-old was also a candidate in the upcoming general elections. He was launching his election campaign in Dhaka when masked assailants attacked him last Friday and shot him in the head.
According to news agency ANI, Hadi was attacked while campaigning at Bijoynagar by an assailant riding pillion on a moving motorcycle, while Hadi was travelling in a rickshaw.
The attack left Hadi critically injured and was initially treated to a local hospital in Bangladesh. He was later airlifted to Singapore where he was on life support for six days and died on Thursday, Reuters reported.
Hadi was a key figure in Bangladesh’s uprising of 2024 that led to the ouster of the then prime minister Sheikh Hasina and sent her fleeing to India. He was a vocal critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile. He had announced plans to contest in the parliamentary election as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency.
Bangladesh protests after Osman Hadi’s death
Reports of violent protests and vandalisation emerged soon after the news of Hadi’s death broke. The demonstrations were marked by emotionally charged slogans invoking Hadi’s name, with protesters vowing to continue their movement and demanding swift justice. Several areas remained tense, with additional police and paramilitary forces deployed to prevent further violence.
Offices of Bangladesh’s prominent newspapers such as Prothom Alo and Daily Star were set ablaze by angry mob while the staff was still inside.
The fire at the Daily Star building was brought under control at 1:40 am (1940 GMT on Thursday), AFP reported, citing firefighting officials.
The two papers are the largest in the South Asian country, but protesters accused them of being aligned with neighbouring India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.
The staff was rescued hours after the protesters set the offices on fire and the firefighting efforts were delayed as the protesting crowd had blocked the road to the newspaper offices, ANI reported, citing Bangladeshi media.
The interim administration has declared Saturday a day of state mourning in honour of Hadi, with national flags to be flown at half-mast and special prayers planned across the country.
In Dhaka, the premises of the prominent Bengali cultural organisation Chhayanaut were vandalised and torched. In the northwestern district of Rajshahi, protesters demolished an Awami League party office using a bulldozer, while demonstrators blocked major highways in several other districts.
Violence was also reported in a number of cities across Bangladesh, including the port city of Chittagong, where protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission and set fire to a house belonging to a former Awami League education minister.
Mujibur Rahman’s house vandalised again
The home of the country’s first president, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, Sheikh Hasina’s father , was reportedly vandalised and set on fire once again, after having been attacked twice previously in February and August last year.
Anti-India protests in Bangladesh
Following Hadi’s death, a group of protesters hurled stones and staged a sit-in outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chattogram, Bangladesh media outlet BD News reported.
The demonstrators gathered outside the mission’s office in Khulshi, the port city, around 11 pm on Thursday. Police moved quickly to the scene after learning of the demonstration.
Those who assembled in front of the Indian Assistant High Commission shouted slogans protesting Hadi’s killing, alongside anti-Awami League and anti-India slogans. Police officers later intervened and pushed the protesters back from the premises.
Fresh anti-India protests were also reported from Bangladesh earlier in the week amid strained ties between the neighbours since Hasina fled to Delhi. On Wednesday, hundreds of demonstrators under the banner “July Oikya” (July Unity) marched toward the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, chanting anti-India slogans, while also demanding the return of Hasina.
Yunus promises swift action
Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus in a televised address to the nation late Thursday night 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 was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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.
