Sharif Osman Hadi, the radical student leader and aspiring lawmaker whose killing has triggered a fresh wave of violence in Dhaka, had had a meteoric rise in Bangladesh after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina last year. For political success, he rode the anti-India wave and pursued the agenda of the country's Islamic extremists.
His killing has further stoked anti-India sentiments and protests, with many alleging that his attackers fled to India.
In this story, NDTV presents a clearer picture of the political rise of a leader whose death could threaten the fragile peace ahead of general elections in Bangladesh. He was an independent candidate from a constituency in Dhaka.
Spokesperson of Inquilab Mancho, Hadi hardly found any mention in Bangladesh's English or Bengali media during the July 2024 student movement, but gradually gained prominence after PM Hasina fled to India on August 5 last year.
His first major public event was a long march, calling for the demolition of Indian dams on transboundary rivers in September 2024. Hadi and fellow protesters alleged that the floods in Bangladesh at that time were caused by the sudden release of water from dams in India. For that, they called for "Intidifa" against India.
Hadi and other Inquilab Mancho members calling for an "intidifa" (uprising) against India at a protest march last year. Credit: New Age
Hadi's Facebook page - the primary medium of his public outreach - was created on May 20 this year. In one of his first posts, he called for a rally against "conspiracy to destroy July unity and Indian hegemony" at Dhaka University.
The Facebook page of Inquilab Mancho - the student platform he led - was created on August 23, 2024. Its X account was created two months later.
In those times, Bangladesh's political horizon was dominated by Nahid Islam and his fellow colleagues, who would later form the National Citizens Party, which had avoided openly associating itself with Bangladeshi extremists.
However, Hadi decided on a different path. He collaborated with Deobandi madrasas and extremist organisations - launching collaborative rallies and addressing their events to stir up conspiracy theories about killings that happened in the past. In July this year, he addressed a brainstorming session of the government formation post-Hasina, organised by the Bangladesh Khilafat Youth Majlis, which aims to "establish caliphate" in Bangladesh.
Hadi at an event organised by Bangladesh Khilafat Youth Majlis, which aims to implement Sharia laws in Bangladesh. Credit: Facebook/Sharif Osman Hadi
Hadi raised his political stock by targeting Bangladeshi actors who paid tribute to Bangladesh's founding father, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, in the past. In an August 2025 post, he called these celebrities "culture killers".
He also floated unverified claims to stir up emotions against ISKCON, which he called a "terrorist organisation", an "Indian agent", and demanded its ban in Bangladesh.
Activities of Inquilab Mancho
In its social media posts, Inquilab Mancho tended to anti-India sentiments by organising events against alleged "Indian hegemony", protests against the situation of minorities in India, and rallies in favour of Gaza.
They also mobilise people by organising poetry recitation events and brainstorming sessions. One such recent session has drawn attention in India for featuring a map that shows larger parts of India's east and west as part of Bangladesh and Pakistan. The event was moderated by a person named Muhammed Sajal, who discredits Mujibur Rahman for his contributions to Bangladesh's independence and advocates close ties with Pakistan. In a recent post, Sajal said that "severing Seven Sisters" from India - as suggested by many leaders since Hasina's ouster - is not achievable. Hence, Bangladesh should deport 10,00 Indians.
Link to US Islamic outfit
In July this year, Hadi addressed an online event titled "Fading Flame of July: Is Unity Lost or Struggle Evolving" - organised by this outfit.
The online event was organised by a US-based Islamic outfit that disguises itself as a human rights outfit. The Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh, which is run by New York-based MUNA Alliance for Peace and Justice, has been involved in stoking anti-India sentiments, stirring up conspiracy theories, and mobilising public opinion in support of Bangladeshi extremists for a long time.
In his July 17 address at Bangladesh's largest Deobandi madrasa, Hathazari Madrasa, Hadi said "fighters" from the seminary silently took on the streets during last year's student protests. Credit: Facebook/Sharif Osman Hadi
In the past, its Facebook page has shared posts portraying India as an oppressor of Bangladesh and promoting Jamaat-e-Islami leaders and their agenda.
In February this year, Human Rights and Development for Bangladesh organised a webinar on a mutiny by the Bangladesh Rifles after PM Hasina came to power in 2009. "Everything we have heard about the BDR killings so far is a lie. It is a picture presented by the Awami League without any trace of truth," it later quoted journalist Elias Hossain as saying at the webinar.
Interestingly, the interim government of Bangladesh instituted an enquiry led by retired general Fazlur Rahman, who had called for occupying North East during India-Pakistan military tensions in May this year. Earlier this month, the enquiry reportedly concluded that the BDR mutiny was ordered personally by PM Hasina.
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