Sharif Osman Hadi, youth leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising, has died in Singapore as a result of an assassination attempt, officials said on Thursday.Hadi, spokesman for the Inqilab Mancho political platform, was shot and critically injured by unknown assailants in Dhaka on December 12. He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital when his condition worsened.He was flown to Singapore last week for further medical treatment and admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit at Singapore General Hospital.Singapore’s Foreign Ministry confirmed his death in a statement: “Despite the best efforts of doctors, Mr (Sharif Osman) Hadi succumbed to his injuries.” Medical teams from the Singapore General Hospital and the National Neuroscience Institute treated him but were unable to save his life.Singapore’s Foreign Ministry said it was assisting the Bangladesh High Commission in the country in arranging the repatriation of Hadi’s body to Bangladesh.Inqilab Mancho announced Hadi’s death in a social media post late Thursday night, saying he died after fighting for his life for six days, Bangladesh news channel Daily Star reported. Hadi was an aspiring independent candidate from Dhaka-8 constituency and emerged as a prominent figure after the 2024 “July Uprising” that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.The shooting sparked strong political reactions in Bangladesh just days after the schedule for February 12 general elections was announced. Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus condemned the attack and called the election violence “totally unacceptable.”“No form of violence aimed at disrupting the election will be tolerated. The incident is a worrying development for the country’s political landscape,” Yunus had said.Investigations into the attack are ongoing and several suspects have been detained by Bangladeshi authorities for questioning.
Why there is cause for concern for India
Bangladesh had summoned the Indian High Commissioner last week to demand cooperation in the attempted assassination of Hadi.Dhaka specifically expressed concerns over the “attempted assassination” and asked India to cooperate in preventing suspects involved in the attack from escaping into Indian territory, demanding that India ensure their “immediate arrest and extradition” if they managed to cross the border.Days after the attack, Muhammad Yunus’ government in Dhaka asked India for help in arresting and handing over the shooters. However, New Delhi has strongly rejected allegations that the attackers had any connection to India.The MEA had said in a statement that India categorically rejects the claims made by the caretaker government of Bangladesh in its December 14 press release on the attack on radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the anti-Sheikh Hasina Inqilab Manch.“We have consistently reiterated our position in favor of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections in Bangladesh in a peaceful atmosphere,” the MEA statement said.“India has never allowed its territory to be used for activities that are contrary to the interests of the friendly people of Bangladesh,” the statement added.“We expect that the interim government of Bangladesh will take all necessary measures to maintain law and order in the country, including to hold peaceful elections,” the statement said.
