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Published : 14 Dec 2025, 02:20 AM
The bullet that struck Sharif Osman bin Hadi has ignited fears across Bangladesh as the aftermath of the national election schedule announcement laid bare deep concerns over candidates and public safety.
The attack on the Inqilab Moncho convenor and prospective Dhaka-8 candidate exposes stark security weaknesses and casts a shadow over the nation’s preparations for the general elections, revealing that the path to the ballot box is fraught with danger for both leaders and the public they seek to represent.
For a country accustomed to tense electoral campaigns, the incident has prompted urgent deliberations on safeguarding frontline July protesters and prospective parliamentary candidates.
While personal security arrangements have been outlined, measures for broader election-related gatherings and public interactions remain unclear. Political leaders from across parties stress that, to ensure a free and festive election, not only must candidate security be reinforced, but looted firearms must be recovered and perpetrators swiftly brought to justice.
Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury made clear the government’s zero-tolerance stance on electoral disruption: “Any attempt to disrupt or sabotage the national election will be dealt with firmly by the interim government.”
The stage for Bangladesh’s high-stakes vote was set when Chief Election Commissioner AMM Nasir Uddin announced Feb 12 for election and referendum simultaneously.
Hadi was shot in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar the following day, sending shockwaves through the political establishment and exposing vulnerabilities in law and order.
The attack was not an isolated incident. In the first week of November, BNP candidate Ershad Ullah faced a similar attempt on his life during a public outreach event in Chattogram, which left one person dead while the candidate survived.
Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus described the assault on Hadi as “both a threat to Bangladesh’s very existence and a deliberate effort to derail the election”.
He then met with leaders of the BNP, Jamaat-e-Islami, and the National Citizen Party (NCP) to reinforce a united stance against destabilising forces.
With just two months remaining before polling day, Yunus convened an urgent meeting on Friday evening with senior advisors and top law enforcement officials, issuing a series of security directives.
According to police sources, these measures included establishing personal protection for candidates and July protesters. On Saturday, the home ministry convened its law-and-order core committee to finalise further security strategies.
At a Dhaka event, the BNP’s acting chief Tarique Rahman warned bluntly: “The conspiracy is ongoing”, cautioning that the elections would not be straightforward.
Senior BNP figures, including Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, told bdnews24.com that the post-schedule attacks indicated deliberate attempts to destabilise the electoral environment. They stressed the urgent need for nationwide confiscation of illegal weapons to ensure candidates could campaign safely -- a step that has yet to show tangible results.
The home ministry has now set up a small committee to assess security requirements for frontline July protesters. Non-July participants will also receive protection, and licenses for personal firearms will be extended to them on request.
Among the frontline July protesters expected to contest in the election are NCP’s Nahid Islam, Sarjis Alam, Hasnat Abdullah, Tasnim Jara, and Abdul Hannan Masud.
The BNP and Jamaat-e-Islami have published their candidate lists, signalling determination to proceed despite ongoing threats.
Reports suggest that supporters of the ousted Awami League, banned from all political activities and suspended by the EC, have increased activity nationwide following the schedule announcement.
The home advisor described Hadi’s shooting as an “attempt to obstruct the next parliamentary election”, implicitly pointing to the Awami League.
Inspector General of Police Baharul Alam affirmed the seriousness of the situation, saying: “Those trying to create a negative impact on the election are being taken seriously. We will launch a nationwide all-out operation against all terrorist activities immediately.”
The following day, the IGP clarified that the “all-out operation” would be in the form of “Devil Hunt Phase-2”.
SECURITY PROMISES UNDER SCRUTINY
Commenting on whether these measures are sufficient to guarantee safety and prevent further incidents, NCP Member Secretary Akhter Hossen told bdnews24.com: “The public safety crisis that has emerged since Aug 5 cannot be resolved by words alone. The government must act decisively to restore security and confidence.”
“They have spoken about providing security, but what we are seeing is that even after terrorists of the fallen autocratic regime are arrested, they are very easily released on bail and return to the streets, where they again find the opportunity to carry out sabotage,” he said.
“A large number of terrorists are still roaming free. There is no visible initiative to arrest them. Talking about security while leaving terrorists at large is meaningless.”
He added: “There has been talk of issuing firearms licences to parliamentary candidates. But a licensed weapon alone cannot ensure anyone’s safety.
“Unless those who are terrorists and identified criminals are prevented from moving freely in society, unless their capacity to continue their crimes is curtailed and they are brought under arrest, public security cannot be ensured in any way.
“We, the July fighters and parliamentary candidates, are anxious about our own safety. But at the same time, ordinary citizens across the country are also facing different forms of sabotage at different times.”
The NCP leader said only a week earlier, around the verdict involving deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina, alleged Awami League operatives had set buses on fire and detonated crude bombs.
“If they continue to find space to carry out such large-scale acts of sabotage, and if they are not arrested, brought to trial and punished, then overall public security will remain impossible to guarantee,” he said.
After the fall of the Awami League government, the interim administration suspended firearms licences issued during the previous regime and ordered licensed weapons to be deposited at police stations.
Operations were launched nationwide to recover weapons looted from police stations during the unrest. Not all of those weapons have yet been recovered.
On candidate security, the IGP said those deemed to be at risk would be given individual protection, describing it as a process shaped by practices that have existed for 20 to 50 years.
Elaborating, Baharul said armed guards would accompany candidates, while intelligence agencies would assess specific risks and advise them where to go and which areas to avoid.
However, neither the home advisor nor the IGP addressed how security would be ensured for public rallies, campaign events or supporters when a July activist is contesting an election.
Jamaat-e-Islami Assistant Secretary General Hamidur Rahman Azad told bdnews24.com that a group was trying to destroy the spirit of July.
“If the government cannot bring these people under the law, what use are personal weapons?” he asked. “The government must provide security, strengthen it, and bring criminals to justice.”
Warning that failure to curb crime would invite further exploitation, he said some measures might work in limited cases, but they were not a real solution.
“The effective solution is to strengthen security, bring criminals under the law and ensure exemplary punishment. That is what matters most -- and it is essential for the election and the electoral environment.”
Azad added that if criminal activity continues, a festive election would be impossible and the government would be unable to keep its promises.
Ganoshamhati Andolan Chief Coordinator Zonayed Saki questioned why, despite repeated threats, those involved in conspiracies and killings had not been arrested earlier.
“How could such an attack on Hadi be possible today, leaving his life hanging in the balance?” he asked. “Does he have to prove with his life that security is truly under threat?”
He said the government must adopt far broader security measures. “Personal protection is one thing, but overall security must be strengthened much more decisively. Those planning covert attacks and acts of sabotage must be brought under the law, and all state institutions must be mobilised effectively.”
