Bangladesh youth leader, 32 dies in S'pore hospital, chaos erupts in Dhaka

Protests erupted in Dhaka, Bangladesh, after the death of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was announced on Dec. 19.

Hadi was critically injured in an assassination attempt on Dec. 12 after assailants shot him in the head whilst he was campaigning as a potential candidate for the upcoming national election, stated Dhaka Tribune.

In a press statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA), Hadi was airlifted to Singapore on Dec. 15 for emergency medical treatment but succumbed to his injuries on Dec. 18 at the Singapore General Hospital (SGH) Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit.

Hadi was a key leader in Bangladesh's July 2024 pro-democracy uprising, which led to the termination of the rule of autocratic Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who has since fled to India, according to The Straits Times (ST).

Assassination & aftermath

Hadi was a frontline fighter and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, a student protest group.

He had just left a mosque and was travelling on a rickshaw whilst campaigning when assailants on a motorcycle opened fire.

Hadi was shot through the head, with physicians at Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) telling Dhaka Tribune that the bullet entered above his left ear and exited through the right, severely damaging the brain stem.

After Hadi's death was revealed, protesters took to the streets demanding his killers be arrested.

Protestors set fire to multiple buildings, including Bangladesh's two main newspapers, Daily Star and Prothom Alo, with staff trapped inside, according to ST.

The two papers were accused of being pro-India.

Journalists trapped, ambassadors surrounded

A reporter for the Daily Star, Zyma Islam took to Facebook, stating that she was trapped.

“I can’t breathe anymore. There’s too much smoke. I am inside. You are killing me.”

27 employees were still inside when the fire was brought under control at 1:40 am local time, stated ST.

The home of India’s deputy ambassador to Bangladesh was also surrounded, but police used tear gas to disperse the crowd.

In a televised speech, the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, 85, expressed their condolences.

“I express my deepest condolences. His demise is an irreparable loss for the nation,”

“The country’s march toward democracy cannot be halted through fear, terror, or bloodshed.”

The government has announced a half-day mourning period on Dec. 20.

Yunus called the shooting an attack by conspirators to "derail the election" and "meant to demonstrate their strength and sabotage the entire electoral process."

A manhunt for the gunmen is underway.

Top photo from AFP and Dhaka Tribune.