Bangladesh unrest: After Sharif Osman Hadi, another youth leader shot in head; who is Motaleb Sikdar?

Days after the death of prominent Bangladeshi youth leader Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, which triggered widespread unrest in the country, another leader was shot on Monday.

The injured youth leader has been identified as Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, Khulna divisional chief of the Bangladesh National Citizen Party, The Daily Star reported. He was rushed to Khulna Medical College Hospital in critical condition.

Who is Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar?

Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar is a resident of Sheikhpara Palli in Bangladesh's Sonadanga. The 42-year-old leader is the Khulna divisional chief of the National Citizen Party (NCP) and a central organiser of the party's workers' wing, NCP Sramik Shakti.

"Muhammad Motaleb Sikdar, was shot a few minutes ago," NCP's joint principal coordinator Mahmuda Mitu said in a Facebook post.

Animesh Mondol, officer-in-charge of Sonadanga Model Police Station, said that "miscreants opened fire at Motaleb, targeting his head around 11.45 am near Gazi Medical College Hospital in the city," The Daily Star reported.

Further quoting the doctors, Mondol said Motaleb is out of danger. The bullet entered through one side of his ear, pierced the skin, and exited through the other side, he added.

According to Bangladeshi media reports, Saif Nawaz, an NCP functionary from the party’s Khulna metropolitan unit, said the attack occurred while Sikdar was making preparations for a rally that was scheduled to begin shortly.

The incident comes amid heightened political tension following the death of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, a key youth leader of Bangladesh’s 2024 uprising. Hadi, 32, was a senior leader of the student-led platform Inqilab Mancha and a vocal critic of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.

Hadi was shot by masked assailants on December 12 while leaving a mosque in central Dhaka. He was later airlifted to Singapore for advanced medical treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries last Thursday, officials said.

Reacting to his death, Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus described it as an "irreparable loss for the nation," announced a day of mourning, and ordered special prayers nationwide.

Hadi’s killing sparked strong political reactions, with thousands of protesters taking to the streets of Dhaka late Thursday and early Friday last week, demanding justice for the slain youth leader.