Tens of thousands of mourners gathered in Dhaka on Saturday to pay tribute to Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old youth leader and election candidate, who was fatally shot last week while campaigning for February’s parliamentary elections. Hadi, a prominent figure in last year’s student-led movement that ousted former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, died in Singapore after six days on life support.
Interim government chief Muhammad Yunus, along with Bangladesh’s army chief and representatives from across the political spectrum, attended the funeral. Yunus described Hadi’s legacy as enduring, calling on citizens to uphold the ideals he championed. Hadi was buried on Dhaka University campus beside national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, a rare symbolic honour.
The killing triggered widespread unrest, including attacks on major newspapers and cultural institutions. Police and paramilitary forces were deployed across the capital during the funeral, preventing further violence. The government declared Saturday a day of state mourning and warned against “mob violence by fringe elements,” emphasizing that instability could derail the nation’s democratic transition.
Human Rights Watch condemned Hadi’s killing and the attacks on journalists as threats to free expression, while Amnesty International urged prompt, independent investigations. Demonstrations continued in Dhaka and spread to Chittagong, where protesters targeted the Indian Assistant High Commission, reflecting rising anti-India sentiment. Analysts note that the unrest exposes challenges for Yunus’ interim government in maintaining stability ahead of the election, which many hope will end nearly two years of political uncertainty and restore confidence in Bangladesh’s governance and civic institutions.
