When Sharif Osman Hadi was shot in broad daylight on a bustling street in Bangladesh’s capital Dhaka this Friday (December 12), the news ricocheted far beyond the police reports and hospital corridors.For millions of Bangladeshis, the attack was a strike at the heart of a national movement that has reshaped politics in this South Asian nation over the past 18 months since the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina through a massive uprising.To understand why the shooting of the 34-year-old Hadi provoked such anger, it is necessary to situate him within Bangladesh’s current political landscape. In July 2024, the country experienced a mass uprising that brought together students and ordinary citizens in opposition to the 16-year-long authoritarian governance of Hasina, widely criticised for corruption, repression and political exclusion.The South Asian nation has a long tradition of street-led political change – its independence movement in 1971 and the pro-democracy uprising of 1990 both followed similar patterns – but the July movement was distinctive for its generational character. It was driven largely by young people with little attachment to the country’s dominant political parties, who felt locked out of decision-making and disillusioned by decades of zero-sum politics.Hadi emerged from this milieu. A Dhaka University-educated activist shaped by student politics, he became prominent because he articulated the language and emotions of the uprising with unusual clarity. His speeches circulated widely on social media, where he spoke of insaf – accountability, dignity and justice – in terms that resonated with a population exhausted by elite bargains and broken promises. For many supporters, Hadi appeared authentic in a political culture often associated with dynastic leadership and opaque deal-making.Illustration: Pariplab ChakrabortyAfter the immediate success of the July Uprising, Bangladesh entered a familiar and dangerous phase. The collapse of an old order did not automatically produce a new one, and the country risked sliding into fragmentation or elite reassertion.It was in this uncertain aftermath that Hadi and his allies launched Imqilab Moncho, or the “Revolutionary Platform,” a hybrid movement blending political mobilisation with cultural symbolism rooted in Islamic ideas of justice and governance. Its gatherings often resembled commemorative assemblies as much as campaign rallies, invoking the memory of those killed during the uprising and insisting that their deaths impose an obligation on the present.Central to Hadi’s politics is the concept of insaf, a term rooted in Islamic and South Asian moral vocabulary that translates loosely as justice or fairness. In his usage, insaf goes beyond courts and laws, implying a moral reckoning – accountability for past abuses and dignity for ordinary citizens. It also popularised the idea of an ethical foundation for governance. This language proved powerful among young Bangladeshis who felt that formal democratic procedures had existed without delivering substantive justice. Hadi’s insistence on insaf allowed him to frame politics as a moral struggle over the meaning of citizenship.Another aspect of Hadi’s appeal is his outspoken criticism of foreign influence in Bangladesh, especially from neighbouring India. Bangladesh’s relationship with India is complex: New Delhi played a crucial role in the country’s independence, but subsequent decades have been marked by disputes over water sharing, trade, border management and perceptions of political interference. While mainstream Bangladeshi parties have often navigated this relationship cautiously, Hadi articulated a sharper, more confrontational critique. He argued that true democracy requires sovereignty not only from domestic autocracy but also from external pressure. For his supporters, this stance was less about hostility toward India and more about reclaiming national agency. For critics, it risked inflaming nationalist sentiment. Either way, it tapped into a deep undercurrent of resentment that had rarely found such direct expression.Hadi’s transformation from movement figure to electoral challenger further elevated his symbolic importance. By announcing his intention to run as an independent candidate in parliamentary elections, he crossed a line that many activists avoid. In Bangladesh’s political system, elections are typically dominated by powerful parties with entrenched patronage networks. Also read: India Rejects Allegations As Dhaka Summons Indian Envoy to Raise Hadi Shooting, Concerns Over HasinaAn independent candidacy rooted in street legitimacy and youth mobilisation represented a direct challenge to that structure. Even observers skeptical of his chances acknowledged the significance of the attempt: it tested whether the spirit of the July Uprising could be translated into formal political power.The timing of the attack on Hadi intensified its impact. It occurred shortly after election dates were announced, a moment when political tensions were already high. To many Bangladeshis, the shooting appeared calculated to intimidate reformist voices and unsettle the electoral process. The fact that condemnation came swiftly from across the Bangladeshi political spectrum underscored a shared fear that violence against a figure like Hadi threatened the credibility of the democratic transition itself.Public anger was fuelled by the way Hadi had come to embody collective hopes. His supporters did not see him merely as a politician with a constituency, but as a vessel for the aspirations of a generation shaped by protest and sacrifice. The July Uprising had left behind martyrs and unresolved trauma. Hadi’s insistence that those sacrifices demanded accountability created a bond between leader and movement that went beyond ordinary political loyalty. When he was attacked, that bond translated into a sense of collective violation. The slogan “We are Hadi,” which spread rapidly online, captured this sentiment, declaring that silencing one voice could not erase the demands it carried.For international observers, the episode offers a window into Bangladesh’s broader struggle. The country stands at a crossroads familiar to many post-authoritarian societies: caught between the promise of renewal and the persistence of old habits, between youthful idealism and entrenched power. Hadi’s rise illustrates how new political figures can emerge from moments of mass mobilisation, drawing legitimacy from moral language and grassroots connection rather than institutional backing. The reaction to the attack on him reveals how deeply invested many Bangladeshis are in the possibility that this time, change might endure.Whether Hadi ultimately survives his “deadly injuries” or returns to political life remains uncertain. What is clear is that the attempt on his life has already altered the political landscape of the country of 180 million people. It has exposed the vulnerability of Bangladesh’s democratic opening, but it has also demonstrated the depth of public attachment to the ideals articulated during last year’s July Uprising.Faisal Mahmud is the Minister (Press) of Bangladesh High Commission in New Delhi.