The body of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent student leader from the 2024 uprising, returned to Dhaka on Friday, December 19, 2025. His return has plunged Bangladesh into a fresh wave of violent unrest, with protesters directing their fury at symbols of the old political establishment and neighboring India.
Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the revolutionary group Inquilab Mancha, was shot by masked assailants in Dhaka on December 12 while launching his campaign for the upcoming February elections. After six days on life support in a Singapore hospital, his death was announced on Thursday. Inquilab Mancha declared him a "martyr" in the "struggle against Indian hegemony".
News of Hadi's death triggered immediate and violent protests across Dhaka. On Thursday night, mobs stormed and set fire to the offices of Bangladesh's two leading newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Journalists were trapped inside the burning buildings, with one reporting she could not breathe from the smoke.
Protesters accused these major outlets of being aligned with India and the ousted regime of Sheikh Hasina. The violence extended to other cultural and political symbols, including the vandalism of the prominent Chhayanaut cultural center and the ancestral home of the nation's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman.
The protests are heavily charged with anti-India sentiment. Hadi was an outspoken critic of India, which has granted exile to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after she was ousted in August 2024. Protesters allege the assassins who shot Hadi have fled to India and demand their return.
This week, crowds have repeatedly marched toward Indian diplomatic missions. On Wednesday, a group attempted to march to the Indian High Commission in Dhaka, and on Thursday, protesters staged a sit-in outside the Indian Assistant High Commission in Chittagong. These actions have forced the temporary closure of Indian visa centers in the country.
The interim government, led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, faces immense pressure. Yunus condemned the violence and announced a half-day of state mourning for Saturday. In a televised address, he called Hadi's death "an irreparable loss" and urged citizens not to let the nation's democratic transition be derailed by chaos.
The government has launched a manhunt, releasing images of two suspects and offering a substantial reward for information. However, with elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, the atmosphere remains highly volatile. The United Nations human rights chief has called for a swift and impartial investigation into the killing, warning that retaliation will only deepen divisions.