Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent youth leader of Bangladesh’s July Uprising, died on Thursday, December 18, 2025, while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore. He had been fighting for his life for six days after being shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka last week.
Confirming his death in a late-night televised address, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus called Hadi’s killing an “irreparable loss for the nation” and assured the public that those responsible would be brought to justice. “We will not spare the killers. A full investigation is underway, and they will be arrested,” Yunus said, while also announcing a day of national mourning and special prayers across the country.
Soon after the announcement, hundreds of students and citizens gathered at Shahbagh intersection near Dhaka University, raising slogans such as “Who are you, who am I – Hadi, Hadi,” reflecting the deep emotional impact of his death. The protests quickly escalated into widespread unrest across the capital and other parts of the country.
Violence broke out as thousands of protesters took to the streets of Dhaka late Thursday night and early Friday, demanding justice for Hadi. Several buildings were set on fire, including offices housing two of the country’s largest newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Fire officials confirmed multiple incidents of arson, saying journalists and staff were trapped inside as firefighters rushed to control the blaze. A witness told PTI that “several hundred demonstrators reached the Prothom Alo office around 11 pm and surrounded the building before setting nearby premises on fire.”
The unrest soon spread beyond Dhaka. Protesters torched an Awami League office in Rajshahi, vandalised properties linked to the former ruling party, and blocked a major highway connecting Dhaka with Mymensingh. In Chittagong, demonstrators attacked the residence of a former minister, according to local media reports.
Members of the National Citizen Party (NCP), a group that emerged from the Students Against Discrimination movement, joined the protests and raised anti-India slogans. Protest leaders alleged that Hadi’s attackers had fled to India after the shooting. “Until India returns the assassins of Hadi Bhai, the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh should remain closed. Now or never. We are in a war,” PTI quoted NCP leader Sarjis Alam as saying.
In Rajshahi and Dhaka, protesters attempted to march towards Indian diplomatic premises, prompting police to use tear gas and blockades to disperse the crowds. Videos circulating on social media showed stone-pelting near the Indian assistant high commission office.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student-led platform Inqilab Mancha and a key figure in the 2024 pro-democracy uprising that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. He was shot on December 12 by masked attackers while leaving a mosque in central Dhaka and was later airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical care.
