Bangladesh mourns slain activist as tensions rise ahead of elections

Dhaka: Hundreds of thousands of people attended the funeral on Saturday of leading Bangladeshi activist Sharif Osman Hadi, who died from gunshot wounds sustained in an attack earlier this month, as the country grapples with rising political tensions ahead of national elections.

Hadi, who had participated in last year’s political uprising that ended former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s 15-year rule, passed away in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday. He had been shot on 12 December in Dhaka.

Police said they had identified suspects and indicated that the shooter had likely fled to India, where Hasina has been living in exile. The incident sparked a new diplomatic row between Bangladesh and India, with New Delhi summoning Bangladesh’s envoy this week, while Dhaka also called in the Indian envoy.

Security was heightened in Dhaka during the funeral prayers, which were held outside the Parliament complex. Hadi’s body had returned on Friday night, and the day was declared one of national mourning.

Hadi served as a spokesperson for the Inqilab Moncho culture group, which announced he would be buried at Dhaka University beside the country’s national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam. Mourners carried Bangladeshi flags and chanted slogans such as, “We will be Hadi, we will be fighting decades after decades,” and “We will not let Hadi’s blood go in vain.”

The announcement of his death on Thursday evening also triggered violent protests, with groups attacking and torching the offices of two leading national dailies. Nobel Peace Prize laureate Muhammad Yunus, the country’s interim leader, urged calm among the public.

Hadi was a vocal critic of both neighbouring India and Hasina, who has been in exile since 5 August 2024 after fleeing Bangladesh. He had planned to contest as an independent candidate in a major Dhaka constituency in the upcoming February elections.

Bangladesh is currently navigating a critical transition under Yunus, who aims to restore democratic governance through the upcoming polls. The political landscape remains dominated by Hasina’s Awami League party and the Bangladesh Nationalist Party, led by former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia, which is vying to form the next government. Meanwhile, the Islamist Jamaat-e-Islami party, historically linked to the nation’s 1971 independence war, is leading an alliance to expand its political influence in the absence of Hasina’s party and allies.

Hasina has been sentenced to death on charges of crimes against humanity, though India has not responded to repeated extradition requests by the Yunus-led government.