Sharif Osman Hadi, a 32-year-old youth leader who emerged as a prominent voice during Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising, died Thursday at Singapore General Hospital after being shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last week. His death triggered violent protests across multiple Bangladeshi cities, with demonstrators setting fire to major newspaper offices and demanding swift justice as the country prepares for national elections in February.

Hadi served as spokesperson for Inquilab Mancha (Platform for Revolution), a movement that grew from the July 2024 uprising that toppled Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina after 16 years of authoritarian rule. Nearly 1,400 people were killed and more than 20,000 wounded during the protests before Hasina fled to India, where she remains in exile. Hadi was known for his outspoken criticism of Indian influence in Bangladeshi politics and his calls for “insaf”—accountability, dignity, and justice—resonating with young voters disillusioned by decades of elite politics. His death comes as Bangladesh operates under an interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus, who described Hadi’s passing as “an irreparable loss for the nation” and declared Saturday a day of state mourning.

The assassination has deepened political tensions ahead of the February 12 elections, with protesters accusing the interim government of failing to protect Hadi and some alleging his assailants fled to India. Police and border guards have arrested at least 20 people linked to the attack, including the wife, brother-in-law, and friend of prime suspect Faisal Karim Masud, who were placed on fresh four-day remand Friday. Violent demonstrations erupted immediately after Hadi’s death was announced Thursday evening, with mobs vandalizing the offices of Bangladesh’s leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star in Dhaka. Yunus urged citizens to remain calm and resist violence, warning that attacks on journalists are “attacks on truth itself” as thousands attended Hadi’s funeral Saturday at Dhaka University, where he was laid to rest beside national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam amid heavy security and nationwide grief.