Violence erupted across Dhaka on Thursday (December 18, 2025) night, as news of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi’s death spread across Bangladesh. Hadi, the leader of radical Inquilab Mancha, had been shot at by unknown assailants on December 12 in Dhaka and passed away in Singapore. Bangladesh interim government’s Chief Adviser Prof Mohammed Yunus, in a speech announcing Hadi’s death said that all places of worship in Bangladesh will hold special prayers December 19, 2025.
The attack on Hadi had come just months ahead of the polls, and a day after the country’s Election Commission announced the polls schedule saying the 13th parliamentary election would be held on February 12, 2026. According to the police, three assailants on a motorbike shot Hadi as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area — from where he stood as an independent candidate — in the afternoon.
“Osman Hadi was shot at 2:25 p.m. in front of DR Tower on Box Culvert Road at Bijoynagar. We have initially learned that three assailants on a motorcycle shot him and fled the scene,” a spokesman of Dhaka police said, as per PTI. Hadi was initially rushed to Dhaka Medical College and Hospital (DMCH), where he had been on life support system. Later, the interim government had announced that it would be airlifting Hadi to Singapore for better treatment.
