Bangladesh on edge as protests demand home adviser's resignation after Hadi's death
Bangladesh on edge as protests demand home adviser's resignation after Hadi's death
Protests surge in Dhaka as mourners bury Sharif Osman Hadi and urge the home affairs adviser to quit, amid fears unrest could affect upcoming elections.
Tens of thousands attended Sharif Osman Hadi's funeral prayer at Manik Mia Avenue, near the National Parliament, in Dhaka on Saturday under tight security. Police rolled out a heavy presence and deployed around 1,000 body-worn cameras to manage the crowd as mourners chanted slogans and urged accountability.
Protest organisers and rights groups renewed their calls for the resignation of Home Affairs Adviser Lt. Gen. (retd.) Md. Jahangir Alam Chowdhury, accusing him of failing to ensure arrests for the December 12 shooting. An ultimatum of 24 hours was issued for his resignation, underscoring how quickly the situation has escalated since Osman Hadi’s death.
Across the country, protests intensified with widespread violence and arson, and demonstrators warned the unrest could be exploited to derail the February 2026 elections. In Dhaka, crowds gathered at Shahbagh, where a massive turnout demanded justice, with some calls to rename the intersection as “Hadi Chattar.”
Slogans like “Inquilab Zindabad” rang through the streets as mourners moved from the funeral toward a central city area. The incident has drawn attention to the broader political climate and the fragility of law and order in the lead-up to elections, with authorities insisting on maintaining security while addressing public grievances.
