Bangladesh: Youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi dies in Singapore; succumbed to injuries after assassination attempt

Sharif Osman Hadi, youth leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising has died in Singapore after succumbing to injuries sustained in an assassination attempt, officials said on Thursday.Hadi was critically wounded after being shot by unidentified assailants in Dhaka last week. He was flown from Bangladesh to Singapore on Monday for advanced medical treatment and admitted to the Singapore General Hospital’s Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit.Confirming his death, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement: “Despite the best efforts of the 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.The Singapore foreign ministry said it is assisting the Bangladesh High Commission in the country with arrangements to repatriate Hadi’s body to Bangladesh.Hadi was a candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency and a spokesperson of Inqilab Mancho, a political party formed after the 2024 “July uprising” that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

He had emerged as a prominent political figure following the uprising.The shooting had triggered strong reactions in Bangladesh, coming just days after the parliamentary election schedule was announced on February 12. Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus had condemned the attack, calling election-related violence “completely unacceptable.”“No form of violence intended to disrupt the election will be tolerated.

The incident is a worrying development for the country’s political landscape,” Yunus had said after Hadi was shot.

Why its a concern for India

Bangladesh summoned India's high commissioner to demand cooperation in the attempted assassination case of Hadi.Dhaka specifically raised concerns regarding the "attempted assassination" and sought India's cooperation to prevent suspects involved in the attack from escaping into Indian territory and requested that if they manage to cross the border, India should ensure their "immediate apprehension and extradition".Days after the attack, the Muhammad Yunus administration in Dhaka sought India's help to arrest and hand over the shooters. New Delhi has, however, strongly rejected the allegations that the attackers had any connection with India.The MEA, in a statement, had stated that India categorically rejects the assertions made by the interim government of Bangladesh in its press note dated December 14 about the attack on radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi, the spokesperson of the Anti-Sheikh Hasina Inqilab Manch."We have consistently reiterated our position in favour of free, fair, inclusive and credible elections being held in Bangladesh in a peaceful atmosphere," the MEA statement said."India has never allowed its territory to be used for activities inimical 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 for ensuring internal law and order, including for the purpose of holding peaceful elections," the statement said.