Bangladesh Seeks UN Human Rights Assistance to Investigate Killing of Student Leader Osman Hadi

Bangladesh has requested assistance from the United Nations human rights office in investigation into the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a young leader who emerged from the student uprising that reshaped the country’s political landscape last year. AFP quoted the interim government’s press wing stating that the Bangladeshi mission in Geneva had sent a diplomatic note requesting the Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to support a “fair, impartial and expeditious" probe into the killing. “The note requests technical and institutional assistance from the UN human rights office to support the investigation," it added. Also Read: Who Was Osman Hadi, The Student Leader Whose Killing Has Triggered Unrest Across Bangladesh? Osman Hadi was a prominent figure in the violent 2024 student-led protests, known as the July Uprising, that led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League government. He was also a candidate in the February 12 parliamentary elections. Hadi was shot in Dhaka on December 12 while campaigning and later died of his injuries. Hadi’s killing has not only devastated supporters of the Inqilab Mancha, the anti-Hasina platform he helped lead, but has also triggered large-scale protests, attacks on media offices, and demonstrations outside Indian diplomatic premises. For many who took part in the July Uprising and the toppling of the Awami League government, Hadi had come to embody the spirit of the movement, and news of his death has intensified anxieties among his supporters. Also Read: At Least 40 Injured In Dhaka As Police, Protesters Clash Over Osman Hadi Killing Fresh clashes broke out in Dhaka on Friday evening as police confronted activists of Inqilab Mancho in the Shahbagh area during a protest demanding justice for slain student leader Osman Hadi. According to Dhaka Tribune, around 40 to 50 people were injured in the confrontation, including Mohiuddin Roni, an independent candidate from Dhaka-18. Police used baton charges, tear gas shells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters. The violence marked the second protest on Friday near the residence of Bangladesh’s chief adviser Muhammad Yunus.