Protests Over Hadi’s Killing : Bangladesh Student Leader Shot In Head During Violent
Dhaka : A senior labour leader of Bangladesh’s National Citizens Party (NCP) was shot in the head in Khulna on Monday. Md Motaleb Sikder, 42, a central leader of the NCP’s workers’ organisation, was shot around 12.15 pm at a house in the Sonadanga area of Khulna. Saif Newaz, an organiser of the NCP’s Khulna metropolitan unit, told Prothom Alo that Sikder is the central organiser and Khulna divisional convener of Jatiya Sramik Shakti, the party’s labour wing.
Sikder had been involved in preparations for an upcoming divisional labour rally in Khulna, scheduled to be held in the coming days. While initial reports described his condition as critical, party sources later said the bullet grazed his skull and his condition is now stable. Hadi, an anti-India student leader associated with last year’s July uprising, was shot at close range on December 12 while travelling in a battery-powered auto-rickshaw in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area.
He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where doctors found severe brain stem damage. Given the seriousness of his injuries, Hadi was airlifted to Singapore on December 15 and admitted to the neurosurgical intensive care unit at Singapore General Hospital. Singapore’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs later said he died on December 18 despite extensive medical efforts.
Hadi was a prominent figure in Bangladesh’s 2024 student-led uprising and served as spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha, or Platform for Revolution. He was also preparing to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency in Bijoynagar in the next general elections, expected in February 2026. Known for his sharp criticism of India and its role in Bangladesh’s domestic politics, Hadi had frequently spoken out after former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina fled to India following last year’s uprising.
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