ASIA/BANGLADESH – Riots after the assassination of student leader Hadi; Bishop Subroto: “Worrying situation”

Dhaka – “We have returned to full-blown street unrest and severe social instability. It is a very worrying situation. The death of Sharif Osman Hadi, leader of the youth movement, assassinated in Dhaka by masked gunmen, has once again provoked a violent reaction. The country cannot find peace; the situation is very tense and unpredictable.” This is what Subroto Boniface Gomes, auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Dhaka, stated in an interview with Fides, as riots and mass demonstrations unfolded in the streets of the capital. The violent protests erupted following the news of the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, leader of the “Inquilab Mancha” movement, which was involved in the popular protests last year that led to the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. Hadi, who intended to run in the 2026 elections, was shot dead by masked gunmen on December 12. Initially hospitalized in Dhaka and later transferred to Singapore for specialized treatment, he died on December 19. Following a wave of public outrage and protests in several Bangladeshi cities, groups of demonstrators attacked the offices of the Prothom Alo and Daily Star newspapers, demanding justice and a “fight against Indian hegemony.” Hadi’s movement was openly critical of India, the country where former Prime Minister Hasina sought refuge and where, according to investigators, some of the perpetrators of the assassination may have also fled. Police have arrested about twenty people suspected of involvement in the crime, while investigations continue to identify the masterminds, financiers, and those who facilitated the assassination. Bishop Subroto notes: “Following this assassination, relations between India and Bangladesh have become very tense. This event will also have an impact on the preparations for the elections that Prime Minister Yunus has announced for early next year. The country was trying to regain stability and institutional order on the difficult path to democracy, but now a period of uncertainty has begun.” “In a context of violence,” he explains, “anything can happen, and groups with ulterior motives or their own agendas could also take advantage of the situation. Even religious minorities could also be implicated in some way: with Christmas just around the corner, any attacks against Christians could attract international attention. We are concerned about this new wave of protests,” the bishop adds, noting that surveillance and attacks have already been reported against Indian citizens and people of the Hindu faith, another minority in a country with a large Muslim majority. In the city of Mymensingh, during the riots, a young Hindu man was lynched by a mob: he was killed, and his body was tied to a tree and burned. Bishop Subroto observes that “the police and the army are present, but the violence is widespread and it is difficult to control the situation. Not even Prime Minister Yunus seems to have effective control,” he states, noting that the government has declared “national mourning” for Hadi’s death, hoping to restore calm. In this delicate context, the bishop concludes, “as Christians, we approach Christmas and entrust our prayer for peace to God. Our hope is that the Prince of Peace, who is coming into the world, will bring the longed-for gift of peace to our troubled nation.”

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