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Published : 13 Dec 2025, 02:57 PM
Home Affairs Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury has announced a reward of Tk 5 million for information leading to the arrest of the gunman who shot Inqilab Moncho Convenor Sharif Osman Bin Hadi.
Jahangir made the announcement on Saturday after an emergency law and order meeting at the Secretariat as police continue to investigate the attack, saying the government was treating the attack as a matter of “highest priority”.
He said security preparations for the national election, special protection for "frontline fighters" of the July Uprising, and the recovery of looted illegal weapons were discussed at the meeting.
“The interim government, including the home ministry, expresses deep sorrow over the attack on Osman Hadi, a frontline fighter during the July Uprising. Law-enforcing agencies have been instructed to arrest those involved without delay.”
Hadi, a prospective independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot on Friday around 2:15pm outside the capital’s Bijoynagar water tank.
The incident occurred shortly after Hadi had completed a campaign event at a mosque in Motijheel and was travelling by battery-powered rickshaw with colleagues towards Suhrawardy Udyan for lunch.
Police say an assailant riding pillion on a motorcycle opened fire at the moving rickshaw, hitting Hadi in the head.
He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors carried out emergency brain surgery. He was later transferred to Evercare Hospital, where doctors described his condition as critical. He is currently being treated in the intensive care unit.
Jahangir expressed confidence that the attackers would be brought to justice soon and called for public cooperation.
“No one involved in this attack will be spared. We believe this incident is an attempt to disrupt the upcoming national election. Any effort to obstruct or sabotage the election will be dealt with firmly.”
He also said the government had formed a special committee to assess and ensure security for leading figures of the July Uprising, adding that enhanced protection measures were already in place.
He added that law-enforcing agencies are continuing operations to recover looted and illegal firearms, while a new phase of a security operation named "Operation Devil Hunt Phase Two" would be launched immediately to counter what he described as “fascist-terrorist elements”.
Addressing election security, he said candidates contesting the polls would now be eligible to apply for firearms licences if they felt threatened, and that any previously surrendered licensed weapons could be returned to candidates during the election period.
Hadi has emerged as a prominent figure since last year’s July Uprising, which led to the fall of the Awami League government.
Through Inqilab Moncho, he has called for political reform and accountability, and has been an outspoken critic of both past and current power structures.
PROTESTS ACROSS DISTRICTS
BNP activists staged protest marches and rallies across multiple districts, branding the shooting of Hadi as a “planned attack” and part of a “deep conspiracy” linked to the elections.
On Saturday, demonstrations were held in the capital and in districts including Khagrachhari, Brahmanbaria, Kurigram, Lalmonirhat, Jamalpur, Sirajganj, Naogaon and Dhamrai.
Alongside condemnation of the attack on Hadi, protesters also demanded the immediate arrest of those responsible for a separate assault on Chattogram city BNP Convenor Ershad Ullah.
At rallies, BNP leaders said the incidents reflected a wider pattern of political violence and warned that candidates and July protesters were being deliberately targeted in the run-up to the polls.
They urged the government to ensure the safety of election candidates and citizens, arguing that providing security was a fundamental responsibility of the state.
