The Hadi Assassination and the Shadow of Regional Power: Questions, Allegations, and the Search for Truth
The Indian government is heavily suspected of killing and abducting people in other countries, especially those of its neighboring nations. They employ extensive intelligence apparatus in the neighborhood and are suspected of abducting, killing, and using soft power to sway politics, elections, and many other matters. The Canadian government accused India of killing a Sikh Canadian on its soil. An attempted killing was revealed in the United States. These activities are routine matters carried out by Indian intelligence in many countries.
Against this background, the murder of Bangladeshi student leader/political activist Sharif Osman Hadi has emerged as one of the most controversial and politically sensitive cases in recent Bangladesh history. Although there is no public evidence that ties any foreign government to Hadi’s murder, the case has been rife with speculation, political finger-pointing, diplomatic sensitivities, and calls for a complete reinvestigation. With recent arrests in India, accusations from Hadi’s family, and comments from Indian politicians, the case has resurfaced in regional headlines.
A Murder That Shook Bangladesh
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on December 12 2025, at close range by a motorcycle rider while he was traveling in a rickshaw near Bijoynagar Box Culvert in Dhaka. He was one of the national conveners of Inqilab Mancha and had been a visible face in Bangladesh’s politics after the uprising. The shooter wore a helmet while committing the crime.
He was taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he was placed on life support. He was then airlifted to Singapore General Hospital. Hadi later succumbed to his injuries on December 18, 2025. After Hadi’s assassination, widespread protests erupted across Bangladesh. Hadi’s funeral served as a protest for the murder he suffered. His death was mourned by ordinary Bangladeshis who believe his assassination was not only a criminal injustice but an injustice towards politics and his movement. He was martyred in the eyes of his supporters. Some political analysts have referred to Bangladesh following Hadi’s death as the “Hadi effect”.
The Official Investigation
Police forces across Bangladesh arrested large numbers of people soon after. The case was mostly investigated by the Dhaka Metropolitan Detective Branch (DB) and the Criminal Investigation Department (CID). Police officers characterized the killing as politically motivated. Hadi’s death was investigated as detectives deemed it premeditated.
Shahin Ahmed, popularly known as Shahin Chairman, has been accused of funding and directing the murder. Police further alleged that the assassination was plotted in a foreign country, which they believe to be Singapore. Investigators claimed that the motive behind the killing was political retaliation. Shahin was accused of orchestrating and financing the murder plot abroad. Police further allege that the attack was planned in Singapore. Police named Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Rahul and Daud, as the shooter. Masud’s accomplice and bike rider has been identified as Alamgir Hossain, also known as Alamgir Sheikh. After carrying out the murder, they allegedly hid imported handguns at Agargaon, then transported the weapons to Narsingdi, where they escaped from Bangladesh.
Arrests Across the Border
The biggest lead in the case came on 7 March 2026, when two accused, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain, were nabbed by the Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal Police near the Bangladesh border in North 24 Parganas district.
The suspects, according to Indian officials, entered India illegally from Meghalaya and were trying to transit through West Bengal. Indian officials also claimed that the suspects admitted during initial questioning that they had directly taken part in the killing.
They were sent to jail by an Indian court in Bidhannagar on charges of illegal entry. India’s National Investigation Agency (NIA) then took custody of the suspects and interrogated them.
These arrests internationalized an investigation that had been primarily an internal matter for Bangladesh authorities to handle. Bangladesh has been seeking the extradition of the suspects based on the extradition treaty between the two countries.
Financial Trails and Broader Networks
Probes conducted by authorities have also revealed an abnormal pattern of financial transactions in accounts belonging to Faisal Karim Masud and others accused of killing him. Investigators say they found suspicious transactions worth over Tk12.7 billion.
The large amount of money involved in the transactions led to questions of whether or not an organization politically or criminally facilitated the killing.
Although they have shed light on some transactional activity, detectives believe that all funding sources and recipients must be accounted for before anyone can reach a conclusion. Following a suspicious monetary pattern can help uncover those who ordered the killing.
Family Allegations Add New Dimensions
Things soon went from bad to worse following comments posted on social media by the victim’s elder brother, Sharif Omar Hadi. Omar claimed that some advisers to the interim government and a few BNP MPs could also be implicated in the murder plot. He also claimed that someone very close to the Amir of Jamaat-e-Islami helped engineer the situation, which culminated in Osman Hadi’s murder. Omar later clarified some of his comments, saying that the investigation was still underway, but maintained that there should be a transparent investigation into the events leading up to and after the murder took place. Omar Hadi’s comments have cast suspicion on many more people than the investigators have officially named as suspects.
Mamata Banerjee’s Explosive Claim
Maybe the biggest political bombshell came out of India.
According to ousted West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee, West Bengal police arrested suspects in the Hadi case. Still, India’s Home Minister Amit Shah ordered her not to make any public statements about the arrests.
“He told me the police have arrested people and names have been popping up [during the investigation] about who was behind the killing[s],” Banerjee said.
Her comments quickly created an uproar as they suggested Indian authorities had information that could help solve one of Bangladesh’s most politically significant murder cases.
On one hand, if her claims are true, questions must be asked about what Indian authorities knew and why they may have been unwilling to share such information. On the other hand, if her claims are untrue, political opponents are concerned that her comments will unnecessarily politicize an investigation that is already quite politically charged.
Amit Shah has yet to make any public statement regarding Banerjee’s accusations.
India-Bangladesh Relations Under Scrutiny
Allegations of rights violations against minorities in Bangladesh are frequently raised by Indian political leaders, media outlets, and advocacy groups, often placing the Bangladesh government in a diplomatically sensitive position. This controversy comes at a particularly delicate time in Bangladesh–India relations.
The two countries’ governments have made efforts in recent months to restore bilateral ties to normal after years of ups and downs driven by evolving political dynamics and regional security issues. Issues such as security cooperation, trade, migration, and border management have dominated discussions on Bangladesh-India relations.
Claims that Indian politicians had inside information about the Hadi scandal will only add to concerns by those in Bangladesh who have historically been wary of Indian interference. Nonetheless, the Bangladesh government has tried to de-escalate the situation. Bangladesh’s State Minister for Foreign Affairs, Shama Obaed, said Bangladesh wants to see justice served through legal proceedings, not through political comments made in other countries.
Regional Intelligence and Political Violence
The politicization of the Hadi case also points to another reality of South Asian politics. Intelligence agencies meddling across borders with influence operations and black ops, as well as claims of political interventions, are nothing new for countries in this region.
In recent years, however, with accusations made by the Canadian government about the alleged killing of Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar in Canada and earlier this year by the U.S about an alleged plot to kill another Sikh Activist, the scrutiny of intelligence agencies operating outside their borders has increased internationally.
What we must be mindful of, though, is the difference between suspicion, political claims, intelligence analysis, and facts proven beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. As far as we know in relation to the Hadi murder, despite myriad theories out there, investigators are publicly zeroing in on the accused suspects, alleged funders, and political conspiracy motives detailed in the charges.
The Need for Transparency and Justice
Sharif Osman Hadi’s killing has become bigger than just another crime to be investigated. His death has now become a proving ground for Bangladesh’s institutions, its judicial system, and its commitment to due process. Allegations of family members against politicians, Mamata Banerjee’s remarks, protests by citizens, and arrests of accused persons in India have ensured that Hadi’s murder remains in the public eye as a ‘political issue.’ However, the fundamental question about what happened to Hadi hasn’t changed: who ordered the hit and why? Only if credible investigations are conducted, prosecution follows swiftly and without impediment, and all verified evidence is made public, can we be sure that justice has been done and that we have our answer. Until then, speculation will rise, politics will simmer, and Hadi’s murder will stand as one of the biggest open-and-shut political murders in recent Bangladeshi history.
But for Bangladesh, there is more at stake than just identifying the gunman. We must know who schemed with him and financed him, and which politicians or institutions had an interest in seeing it succeed, whether by allowing it, supporting it, or covering it up.
Ghulam M. Suhrawardi
Ghulam M. Suhrawardi is the Publisher of South Asia Journal.
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