By Shakir Husain
NEW DELHI, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- Bangladesh is mourning the loss of a prominent youth leader who played a key role in the student-led uprising that ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina in 2024 and later died in Singapore after being wounded in an attack in Dhaka.
Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, was wounded in an attack in Dhaka’s Paltan area on Dec 12 and was evacuated by air ambulance to Singapore General Hospital on Dec 15 for further medical care.
Bangladesh interim leader Muhammad Yunus announced on state television that Hadi's life could not be saved and vowed to punish his killers.
"Sharif Osman Hadi, the fearless frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, is no more among us.
"May Allah the Almighty accept this immortal soldier of the struggle against fascism and (foreign) hegemony as a martyr," Yunus said in an address to the nation on Thursday night.
Meanwhile, in a statement, Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that despite the best efforts of doctors from Singapore General Hospital and the National Neuroscience Institute, Hadi succumbed to his injuries.
Bangladesh will observe a state mourning on Saturday and the national flag will be raised at half-mast in all government and public buildings as a mark of respect to the late leader, news agency Bangladesh Sangbad Sangstha reported.
Special prayers will be offered in mosques across the country after Friday afternoon prayers.
Hadi was known for his strong opposition to Hasina and the Awami League, which has been barred from participating in the parliamentary elections set for February.
A potential candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, he was travelling in a battery-powered rickshaw for election campaigning when he was shot.
Meanwhile, Yunus said the criminals involved in Hadi's assassination will be identified and prosecuted.
"No one can stop the democratic progress of this country through threat, terrorist activities or bloodshed," he said, describing Hadi as "an enemy of the defeated forces."
Anger against Hasina and her party's long rule remains strong and widespread in the country.
Bangladesh's International Crimes Tribunal (ICT) has sentenced Hasina and former home minister Asaduzzaman Khan Kamal to death after finding them guilty of crimes against humanity for ordering a crackdown against the student-led protests during which about 1,400 people died.
Both fled to India as the Awami League regime collapsed in 2024. Bangladesh has asked the Indian government to extradite them.
Bangladesh's main political parties were united in expressing grief and paying tribute to the youth icon.
Meanwhile, violence erupted in Dhaka and several other locations on Thursday night following news of Hadi’s death.
Media reports said thousands of protesters took to the streets, with several buildings in the capital vandalised, including the offices of the Bengali-language Prothom Alo and the English-language Daily Star, which were set on fire.
An Awami League office was attacked in Rajshahi city, local media reported.
-- BERNAMA
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