It is Friday noon in Dhaka (2:25 p.m. local time), just hours after the announcement of the national election schedule. In the capital’s busy Bijoy Nagar area, Sharif Osman Hadi, a key leader of last year’s uprising and an independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head by unidentified assailants on a motorcycle in broad daylight. Mr. Hadi remains in a life-threatening condition.
The attack, among several recent incidents, has intensified concerns over security and political stability in the run-up to the polls. Md. Abu Shadik (Kayem), Vice-President of the Dhaka University Central Students’ Union (DUCSU), alleged that elements of the “fallen fascist regime” were attempting to sabotage the upcoming election. He said the ousted group “has already issued threats and launched programs to resist the election,” warning that an attack on a candidate raises serious questions about fairness and safety.
Forty months after the f
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