Bangladesh protest leader dies in Singapore after assassination attempt

WEB DESK: A key leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising has died in Singapore after succumbing to injuries sustained in an assassination attempt, officials said on Friday.

Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old spokesperson for the student protest group Inqilab Moncho, was shot by masked attackers last week as he was leaving a mosque in the capital Dhaka. He was wounded in the ear and later airlifted to Singapore for treatment, where he died despite medical efforts.

Singapore’s foreign affairs ministry confirmed the death, saying it was assisting Bangladeshi authorities with the repatriation of his body. The protest group Inqilab Moncho earlier announced Hadi’s death in a social media post, describing him as a martyr.

Hadi was a candidate in the February 2026 elections, the first parliamentary polls since a student-led uprising toppled the government of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina last year. He was a senior figure within the movement and a vocal critic of India, where Hasina remains in self-imposed exile.

In Dhaka, the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus confirmed the death, with Yunus calling it an irreparable loss for the nation. He said the country’s journey towards democracy could not be stopped through violence or fear.

The government announced special prayers after Friday prayers and declared a half-day of mourning on Saturday.

Police have launched a manhunt for the attackers, releasing images of two suspects and offering a reward of five million taka for information leading to their arrest. Yunus said the shooting was a premeditated attack aimed at destabilising the upcoming elections.

Bangladesh is preparing for high-stakes polls on February 12, in which voters will elect 300 lawmakers, alongside a referendum on major democratic reforms. Political tensions remain high as the country heads into the elections.