E M Shourav :
From a son of a distinguished Islamic scholarly family to an uncompromising orator on the street-Sharif Osman Hadi had his roots deep in the people’s mind.
Osman Hadi was born in a renowned ‘Alim’ family in Khasmahal area of Nalchhiti upazila of Jhalakathi district. His father, late Maulana Abdul Hadi, was a dedicated madrasa teacher. Osman Hadi was the youngest of three brothers and three sisters. Every member of the family was associated with scholars or religious education, which provided a strong moral foundation for Osman Hadi’s thoughts and character.
His elder brother, Maulana Abu Bakr Siddique, is the Khatib of the traditional Sharfuddin Ahmed Sentu Jame Mosque in Barisal. Elder brother, Maulana Omar Faruk, is a businessman in Dhaka. His three brothers-in-law are also involved in teaching madrasas and imamship in mosques, who are highly respected at the local area.
Osman Hadi’s educational career began at the famous NS Kamil Madrasa in Jhalakathi. He was a brilliant student and an excellent speaker from his student days. The desire to protest injustice was in him since childhood. In an interview, he proudly recalled his beloved madrasa.
In 2001, He admitted in the department of Political Science of Dhaka University. He struggled for his Islamic apparel during campus life, especially the period of ‘Shahbagh Movement’ of 2013, from the anti-Jamaat-e Islami environment and his teachers’ student activists believes on secular culture. Then he swear to change the political ‘Culture’ and identifies that ‘Indian Cultural hegemony’ and ‘Progressive Practice’ create this situation that blames that ‘Islamists are terrorists’.
He was a Lecturer of University of Scholars.He has a daughter named ‘Firnas’ who is about one year old. His wife is very modest and never appeared in front of media.
During Awami era, He wrote Poems, songs and all other literacy works in the pseudonym ‘Shimanta Sharif’. All this literacy works were against the narrative the left leaning activists believes and practices, Awami League defends. He called the culture ‘Shahbagh’ he fights and tried to establishes that India is the historical patron to culture. His fight was against this ‘Indian Cultural Hegemony’ and its Imperialism on Bangladesh.
The July 2024 uprising was a turning point in Osman Hadi’s political career. During that time, he became actively involved in the student-public movement and served as its coordinator in the Rampura area of Dhaka. He quickly became a well-known face by organizing youth, speaking at rallies, and raising demands for state reform.
Based on the experiences and demands of the students and the public who participated in the July Uprising, Osman Hadi established ‘Inqilab Manch’. The organization’s declared goal is to protect the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh by taking a stand against all forms of hegemony and dictatorship, and to build a state system based on justice.
Democratic participation, justice, and political accountability are highlighted as the main foundations of this platform.
Hadi harshly criticized the country’s major political parties, especially the old-style politics, at various press conferences and public meetings. Regarding BNP, he commented that it is not possible to remain in power without people-centered politics. At the same time, he criticized the structural weaknesses of the interim government and proposed the formation of a national government ensuring representation of all political parties.
He was one of the most talked about young leaders in the movement demanding the Awami League be banned as a terrorist and seditious organization in 2025. Inqilab Manch played an active role in this movement, which was organized under the banner of “National Anti-Fascist Unity”.
He announced his candidacy for the 2025 parliamentary election from Dhaka-8 constituency. In this constituency comprising Motijheel, Shahbagh, Ramna, Paltan and Shahjahanpur, he went beyond conventional politics and announced to hold direct exchanges of views on social media, ‘cha-singara’ chats and road rallies. His unconventional campaign generated widespread discussion in the media.
Hadi had previously stated that he had received multiple death threats for leading the movement. On December 12, 2025, after Friday prayers, he was seriously injured in a shooting by miscreants in the Box Culvert area of Bijoynagar in the capital. He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later to Singapore for advanced treatment, but he died while undergoing treatment on December 18.
His funeral held at Manik Mia Avenue on Saturday, attended by millions of people, has sparked a debate about whether it was the biggest funeral in Bangladesh. All those present declared themselves Hadi, vowing to fulfill Hadi’s dream. He was buried next to the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam next to the central mosque of Dhaka University.
In his short political career, Osman Hadi became known as a symbol of protest politics among the youth.His death sparked new discussions not only in Dhaka-8 but also in the country’s overall politics-about youth leadership, movement-based politics, and the future structure of the state.
