Osman Hadi, a 21-year-old Bangladeshi student leader and the leading face of the 2024 student uprising, died in Singapore on Thursday after he succumbed to gunshot injuries sustained in Dhaka earlier this month. The university student had been airlifted from Bangladesh to Singapore for specialised medical treatment.
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According to the latest statement released by Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Hadi passed away on December 18, 2025, notwithstanding intensive treatment at the Neurosurgical Intensive Care Unit of Singapore General Hospital. Singapore is coordinating with the Bangladesh High Commission in Singapore over Hadi's repatriation to Dhaka.
He was shot on December 12 while travelling in a battery-powered auto-rickshaw along Culvert Road in the Paltan area of the Bangladeshi capital. Unidentified assailants opened fire, hitting him in the head. He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital as his condition remained critical. From there, he was airlifted to Singapore on December 15 in an attempt to save his life.
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Who was Osman Hadi?
Osman Hadi was one of the recognisable leaders to emerge from Bangladesh's July 2024 student uprising. He was associated with Inqilab Mancha, an anti-Hasina political platform that gained national prominence during protests, which ultimately resulted in the removal of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
Internally, Hadi was an organiser and spokesperson within the movement, often speaking to students and supporters at rallies. At the time of the attack, he was contesting as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency in the February national elections.
Inqilab Mancha and the political scene
As per a report by Hindustan Times, the Inqilab Mancha, which rose to prominence during the student protests, was branded as a radical outfit by the authorities thereafter. Despite its role in the uprising, the interim government, headed by Muhammad Yunus, dissolved the platform and denied it permission to contest the impending elections, thereby restricting its formal political participation.
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Yunus orders probe, declares state mourning
In the aftermath of Hadi's death, interim leader Muhammad Yunus addressed the nation, naming the incident deeply painful. He announced a one-day state mourning and assured them that investigations into the shooting would be conducted to identify those behind the shooting. Yunus also appealed for calm, saying efforts to intimidate figures linked to the student uprising would not derail the process underway.
