There is no scope to view the attack on Sharif Osman Hadi as “an isolated incident.” It is a message—and the message is very clear: target voices in the political arena that are somewhat different and not directly under the shadow of the major parties. Low risk, high return.

The incident took place on 12 December 2025, in broad daylight, in the Bijoynagar Box Culvert area under Paltan Police Station, shortly after Friday prayers. Eyewitness accounts also place the timing as after Jumu’ah. Police say the attackers, riding a motorcycle, opened fire and fled. Hadi is the spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, a platform formed around the aspirations of the July uprising, and had also been active in the field after expressing his intention to run as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency. Reports later said he was transferred from Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Evercare Hospital.

The most politically significant aspect here is the timing. An attack of this nature within 24 hours of the announcement of the election schedule cannot be dismissed as “ordinary crime” without obscuring the reality. News reports make it clear that the incident occurred immediately after the schedule was announced, at a moment when the country is gearing up for the February 2026 election.