Dhaka, December 19, 2025: The body of a prominent student leader who was assassinated last week returned to Bangladesh on Friday, as protests flared across Dhaka and other cities, prompting the country’s interim government to urge citizens to resist violence and maintain calm.
According to a post by the interim administration on X, a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight carrying the remains of Sharif Osman Hadi landed at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport in Dhaka at 5:48pm local time after arriving from Singapore, where he had been undergoing medical treatment.
Hadi, 32, was a spokesperson for the Inquilab Mancha (Platform for Revolution) and had played an active role in the protests that led to the ouster of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina. An outspoken critic of India, he was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last Friday while launching his election campaign. After initial treatment at a local hospital, he was airlifted to Singapore, where he died after spending six days on life support.
The United States Embassy in Dhaka said Hadi’s funeral prayers would be held after afternoon prayers around 2pm in front of the National Parliament building on Manik Mia Avenue, warning of heavy traffic and urging citizens to avoid large gatherings. “Gatherings intended to be peaceful can turn confrontational and escalate into violence,” the embassy cautioned.
Although relative calm returned to parts of the country on Friday morning, protesters carrying national flags and placards continued demonstrations at Shahbagh in central Dhaka, chanting slogans and vowing not to disperse until justice was served. Residents expressed fears of renewed violence later in the day, concerns echoed by the National Citizen Party, formed by students who led last year’s uprising.
Elsewhere, nearly 1,500 people gathered peacefully at the national mosque in Dhaka after Friday prayers for a rally called by the religiopolitical party Khelafat Majlis, while around 100 protesters assembled in Chowhatta, demanding accountability for Hadi’s killing and calling for the resignation of Dhaka’s home affairs adviser.
Local media reported that protesters alleged the killing was carried out “at the behest of India” and blamed the Awami League and its affiliated organisations, particularly the banned Chhatra League.
Tensions escalated further on Thursday night after mobs vandalised the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka. The fire service said a blaze at The Daily Star building was brought under control, while troops were deployed and journalists trapped inside were rescued.
Chief Adviser of the interim government Muhammad Yunus condemned the arson and appealed for restraint. “This is a critical moment in our nation’s history when we are making a historic democratic transition,” he said in a statement. “We cannot and must not allow it to be derailed by those who thrive on chaos and reject peace.”
Yunus said the upcoming elections were inseparable from Hadi’s aspirations and that honouring his sacrifice required responsibility and a rejection of hatred. He also expressed solidarity with journalists targeted in the attacks, calling assaults on the media “attacks on truth itself,” and vowed full justice. The statement also condemned the lynching of a Hindu man in Mymensingh, saying there was “no space for such violence in new Bangladesh.”
The United Nations human rights chief, Volker Turk, voiced alarm over Hadi’s killing and called for a swift, impartial and transparent investigation. Urging calm, he warned that retaliation and revenge would deepen divisions and undermine rights, stressing the need to protect freedom of expression, peaceful assembly and the safety of journalists ahead of parliamentary elections scheduled for February.
Bangladesh has been governed by an interim administration led by Nobel laureate Yunus since August 2024, after Sheikh Hasina fled to India following a student-led uprising. The government has struggled to contain fresh protests amid delayed reforms and warnings of unrest by Hasina’s Awami League, which has been barred from contesting the February 12 elections.
The interim government has blamed the recent violence on “fringe elements” and urged citizens to reject mob justice. Earlier, Yunus announced Saturday as a day of state mourning in honour of Hadi.
Violence was also reported in other cities, including Chittagong, where protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission. The unrest follows a surge in anti-India protests this week, with relations between the two neighbours deteriorating since Hasina fled to New Delhi.
