After Hadi, Another Bangladesh Student Leader Shot in Head, Raising Fears of Political Violence

After Hadi, Another Bangladesh Student Leader Shot in the Head — A Disturbing Pattern Emerges

Bangladesh’s fragile post-uprising calm is cracking fast.

Just days after the killing of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, another key figure from the student-led movement has been shot — this time in the head — raising fears that a systematic targeting of protest leaders is underway.

On December 22, 2025, unidentified gunmen shot Motaleb Shikder, a senior leader of the National Citizen Party (NCP), in Khulna city in southwestern Bangladesh. Shikder, who heads the NCP’s Khulna division and serves as a central coordinator of the party’s workers’ front, is currently in critical condition.

What Happened in Khulna

According to party officials, the attack occurred in Majid Sarani, a busy area of Khulna. NCP joint principal coordinator Mahmuda Mitu confirmed the shooting in a Facebook post, stating that Shikder was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital minutes after the attack.

Hospital sources quoted by Kaler Kantha said Shikder was shot on the left side of his head and was bleeding heavily when brought in. Doctors immediately began emergency treatment, and he was later shifted to the hospital’s City Imaging Centre to assess the extent of brain injury.

Police have admitted they currently lack clarity on the attackers or motive, but say an “immediate manhunt” has been launched.

A Chilling Echo of the Hadi Killing

The timing of the attack has intensified public anxiety.

Just ten days earlier, Sharif Osman Hadi, a central figure in the 2024 student-led uprising that forced the resignation of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot by masked gunmen during an election campaign in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.

Hadi, 32, later died in a Singapore hospital on December 18, triggering nationwide protests, arson attacks, and a half-day of state mourning announced by the interim government led by Muhammad Yunus.

Both Hadi and Shikder were deeply associated with the same protest generation — young leaders who emerged from last year’s movement that dismantled years of entrenched political control.

Rising Fear of Political Targeting

While authorities have not officially linked the two attacks, activists and opposition figures say the pattern is hard to ignore.

“These are not random crimes,” said one student organiser in Dhaka. “These are executions meant to silence the voices that challenged power.”

Police have arrested relatives and associates of suspects connected to Hadi’s killing, but key perpetrators remain at large. No arrests have yet been made in Shikder’s case.

Bangladesh at a Dangerous Crossroads

Bangladesh is heading toward general elections scheduled for February 12, 2026, a vote seen as a critical test for the country’s democratic reset after years of political unrest.

But with youth leaders being gunned down in public spaces, concerns are growing that fear and violence are replacing debate and ballots.

For many Bangladeshis, the question is no longer just who pulled the trigger —
it’s who benefits when the leaders of a generation are systematically erased.