'You Killed Him To Cancel Polls': Osman Hadi's Brother Blames Yunus Admin Over Bangladesh Violence

The streets of Dhaka are once again simmering with rage and grief, as allegations of a state-backed political assassination tear through Bangladesh's fragile interim climate. The shocking death of radical leader Sharif Osman Hadi has escalated from a tragedy to an explosive political crisis after his brother pointed finger directly at the highest echelons of the caretaker administration.

Sharif Osman Hadi, the voice of the cultural-political platform Inquilab Moncho, was killed in the capital on December 12th, shot at point-blank range. Despite being airlifted to Singapore for urgent treatment, he succumbed to his injuries on December 18th, turning a shooting into martyrdom. Inquilab Moncho, born from the fiery July 2024 uprising that ultimately toppled the long-standing government of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hadi's death, therefore, is not seen as a random act of violence, but a targeted strike at the heart of a movement.

Protesters, fueled by fury, took to the streets, their anger spilling over onto the offices of major newspapers and cultural organizations deemed hostile to their cause. But amidst the chaos, a more damning narrative began to crystalize, delivered from the most poignant of pulpits: the activist's own funeral.

At the graveside in central Dhaka, Hadi's elder brother, Abu Bakar, transformed his eulogy into a blistering indictment. Addressing a sea of mourners, he confronted the interim government led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus. "If you can't give justice, then you have to flee," News18 quoted him as saying.

"You have killed Osman Hadi," he asserted, framing the murder as a cynical ploy to sabotage the democratic process. "You want to cancel the election showing him." His concluding threat, "If Hadi does not get justice, you also have to leave this country," was less a plea and more a prophecy of renewed upheaval.

This sentiment was amplified by another brother, Sharif Omar Hadi, at a protest gathering in Shahbagh-a historic epicenter of Bangladeshi political ferment. He painted his brother as a patriot who refused to bow to "any agency or foreign masters," implying his unwavering stance made him a target.

Omar directly linked the quest for justice to the stability of the upcoming national election, demanded for February. "Ensure a speedy trial of the killers so that the election environment is not harmed," he demanded, accusing the Yunus-led government of palpable failure. In a pointed remark, he suggested that without justice, even those currently in power would face exile, a clear allusion to Sheikh Hasina's flight to India following the July uprising.

The allegations from the family are bolstered by Inquilab Moncho's own leadership. Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber, cited in The Daily Star, described the killing as part of a "deep conspiracy" aimed at dismantling the gains of the July revolution and compromising national sovereignty. He pointed to shadowy forces, naming international intelligence agencies and domestic "fascist associates" as collaborators in the plot. Jaber issued a stark ultimatum to the interim government: produce the killers through a transparent, international-standard investigation within a strict deadline, or face an intensified wave of protest.

The platform has declared its intent to remain on the streets indefinitely, vowing to "continue the fight till justice is served." They have announced they will hold no programs on December 25th, when Tarique Rahman, the acting chairman of the opposition Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), is scheduled to return from exile.