Sharif Osman Hadi, A Comrade, Teacher, Hero, Man
Introduction
Sharif Osman Hadi (1993-2025) proved to be one of the most significant political actors to arise from the troubled student movement in Bangladesh during the 2020s. Only 32 years old, Hadi had already passed from the student movement to his current prominence as a lead voice of the 2024 student rebellion and consequently the central actor in the politics after Hasina. As the press secretary and then convener of Inquilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution, Hadi had a vision that integrated demands for democratic transformation, an accounting for state violence, and an opposition to Hadi's conception of foreign interference, especially from India, in Bangladeshi politics.
The events of Hadi’s life and death must be understood as part of the historical juncture that Bangladesh underwent after July 2024. His assassination in December 2025, after a period of rigorous medical treatment in Singapore, saw him change overnight from being a political player to becoming a representation of sacrifice for many people from Bangladesh. As a martyr for independence and democracy, or as a divisive nationalist with speeches that escalated regional rivalry, it does not matter which group he is to his supporters or detractors—his role in the political imagination of Bangladesh cannot be denied.
Early Life and Political Background
Osman Hadi was born in Nalchity Upazila of Jhalokathi District. His father was a madrasa teacher as well as their local imam. Osman was the youngest of his six siblings. He grew up with a religious background. He finished his higher secondary education at Jhalakati N S Kamil Madrasa with the Alim certificate. Then he applied to the Department of Political Science of the University of Dhaka in 2010.
Like many people born in his generation, Hadi grew up amidst contradictions: growth with inequality, expansion of education with contraction of political liberties, and democratic institutions dominated by one party.
Hadi had always been interested in history and politics, especially the Liberation War of 1971 and the unfulfilled promises in it. His friends and classmates remembered how frustrated he had been with the way the aspirations of independence—with sovereignty, justice, and democracy in focus—are often married to the rhetoric and the way they had been continuously thwarted. Hadi was actively involved in the groups that, as students, kept themselves distinct from the mainstream parties’ affiliated wings in the student bodies, which the students often perceived to be tools of oppression and patronage.
Contrary to the trend of previous generations of student leaders who commonly employed the university politics platform as a springboard into mainstream political parties, Hadi belonged to a generation that was highly skeptical of mainstream political institutions. It was this skepticism that would come to characterize both the popularity and the controversy that he would come to create.
The 2024 Student Uprising
The turning point in Hadi’s political activism took place during the student rallies in July 2024. Initially, the protest was over the conventional job quota system in Bangladesh, specifically the reservation for the offspring of freedom fighters in the 1971 war. However, the rallies escalated into a full-blown protest against the authoritarian system of governance.
The students argued that the quota system had fallen into the hands of the political elites and that it was no longer about social justice. One of the effects of the uprising was that the government, which was then ruled by Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, cracked down on the uprising. This crackdown involved widespread arrests, physical torture, and the use of deadly weapons. An estimated 1,400 people were killed, and more than 20,000 were injured.
Hadi turned out to be one of the strongest voices in this campaign. In contrast to other leaders who made demands purely in terms of quota reform, he presented this crisis as part of a wider struggle against authoritarianism and foreign intervention. In this respect, his speeches, posted repeatedly all over Facebook, combined moral indignation with clarity. He stressed that this violence had revealed more than just problems in maintaining public order in the country.
Hadi played a role in forming a loose coalition of various groups of students, which eventually turned out to be the Inquilab Mancha. His position as the spokesperson turned out to be recognizable, making him a target for surveillance and threats.
Inquilab Mancha: Platform for Revolution
Inquilab Mancha (Platform for Revolution) was born out of the 2024 uprising as an ideological movement rather than an orthodox political party. It attempted to harness political energy from the street to apply prolonged political pressure rather than falling into electoral compromises from the start.
Hadi was a crucial part of the campaign’s platform and ideology since he was the spokesperson and later the convener. Inquilab Mancha demanded:
1. Accountability for the killings and human rights abuses perpetrated in the course of the 2024 protests
2. Dismantling the politicized security structures
3. Electoral reforms with the demise of one-party rule
4. Protection of National Sovereignty Against Foreign Interference
Hadi insisted that the Bangladeshi democratic crisis was not an issue that could be resolved with the transfer of authority from one leader to another. That was why he wanted a “second liberation” and the takeover of institutions from the elite.
The party’s appeal extended to students, young professionals, social activists, and disenchanted members of the major parties. However, the hostile language and evasive positioning of the existing anti-Hasina camp created tensions in the camp itself.
Transition Towards Electoral Politics
By 2025, Hadi had already indicated a strategic shift in his plans. He had decided to take part in the parliamentary elections, which were to be held in February 2026, as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency in the Bijoynagar area, while retaining his Inquilab Mancha's identity as a movement.
This represented a big shift in Hadi’s thinking. Hadi recognized that for lasting transformation, he had to interact with the official political systems, despite their numerous flaws. The announcement of the proposed candidacy was seen not as the personal ambition of Hadi but rather a form of experiment that could enable the movement politics present in the street to be channeled into the parliament.
His advocates saw this as a strong gesture against the political machines. His detractors, some of whom were within the students’ movement, believed that his involvement in electoral politics would soften his edge. Nevertheless, his foray into electoral politics reinforced his rising strength as well as the respect he commanded, even from his foes.
Attitudes towards Indian culture and the influence of Osman Hadi:
One of the most discussed points of Hadi’s politics involved his criticism of India. This stance was informed by various discussions in Bangladesh on sovereignty and disparities in the region, as well as the involvement of India in national politics.
Hadi stated that Bangladesh had been dominated unequally by New Delhi ever since the independence of Bangladesh in 1971, especially in their support for Sheikh Hasina’s administration during 17 years of growing authoritarianism. The support came with the price tag of a lack of accountability and political oppression, said Hadi. After the 2024 uprising led to Hasina’s ousting as a result of her subsequent relocation to India, Hadi became more vocal in his attacks. He criticized India’s exemption of Hasina from prosecution as a result of her indictment in Bangladesh on charges of human rights crimes. This was in addition to her indictment on charges of assassination despite her continued stay in India due to her Bangladeshi citizenship. It is significant that Hadi made distinctions between the state and the people in the Indian context and maintained that his opposition was political in nature.
The Assassination Attempt of Sharif Osman Hadi:
Hadi had previously been quoted in reports as having received death threats. It was on 12th December 2025 at about 2:25 p.m. (BST) when he was shot in the head in the area of Paltan in Dhaka. The police reported an attack carried out by perpetrators on a motorcycle. Two perpetrators approached on a bike alongside his battery-powered auto-rickshaw in which he was travelling.
Initially, he was treated in Dhaka Medical College Hospital and then shifted to Evercare Hospital, Dhaka. On the 15th of December, he was flown to Singapore General Hospital, where he breathed his last on the 18th of December. On the 18th of December 2025, the Singapore government and Inquilab Mancha jointly made an announcement that Sharif Osman Hadi had passed away from his wounds. The Singapore government’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs asserted that although the Singapore government’s top physicians made all-out attempts to save him, he succumbed to serious brain damage. Through his Facebook page post, Inquilab Mancha declared that Sharif Osman Hadi had become a martyr of the fight against hegemony and injustice.
Hadi's body was repatriated on 19th Dec. The body lay overnight at the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases in Dhaka. An autopsy was done the next morning before the final arrangements for the funeral.
State Response and Investigation
After the shooting, the Bangladeshi police initiated a nationwide manhunt. The Rapid Action Battalion and border security personnel were mobilized, and footage from CCTV cameras showed pictures of two suspected attackers. Five million taka was offered as a reward for any information that led to the arrest of the attackers. The government announced that more than 20 suspects were arrested in connection with the case, although important suspects were still on the run. Rumors quickly spread on social networking sites that the gunmen had fled the country and retreated to India. Interim administration head Muhammad Yunus labeled Hadi’s death “an irreversible loss for the nation” and stated that the progress of the democratic process in Bangladesh could be deterred neither by terror nor by blood. The administration has declared a half-day of national mourning. Public Response & Demonstrations Hadi’s death set off massive protests across the cities of Dhaka. Students, activists, and commoners demanded justice and a change in the high-ranking officials at the Home and Law ministries.
