Almost fifty years after the rebellious Bengali poet Kazi Nazrul Islam was buried near the Dhaka University mosque in 1976, the student leader of Inkalaab Manch, Sharif Usman Hadi, has now been laid to rest. Hadi was murdered in a well-planned conspiracy.
Dhaka witnessed a sea of people on Saturday as Hadi was laid to rest. Millions took to the streets, with thousands arriving from nearby towns and cities, filling Dhaka for Hadi's funeral.
Hadi is now buried next to 'rebel poet' Kazi Nazrul Islam. Many people in Bangladesh see this as a natural parallel. Just as Nazrul's poems became weapons for Hadi, as seen in viral reels and shorts, Sheikh Hasina's opponents have begun portraying this hardcore leader as a ‘revolutionary’ leader in the ‘New Bangladesh’ by student leaders.
Hadi often recited the lines of Kazi Nazrul Islam in his rallies. He would repeat these lines:
I am the storm, I am the whirlwind. I am the indomitable roar, the restless thunder. My laughter shatters the sky, with my touch the heavens ripple. I come like a flood, embracing the waves. I uproot trees, shatter roofs, playing games of fear. I am the fiery storm, the dance of death rides the waters. People tremble, cities quake, dust falls beneath my feet.
It now appears that after the revolt against Sheikh Hasina, Hadi has been made the self-proclaimed heir to Nazrul. Sharif Usman Hadi was the spokesperson for the Sheikh Hasina opposition political platform, Inkalaab Manch. This group emerged during the movement of July-August 2024, which overthrew Sheikh Hasina's power. The 32-year-old Hadi was one of the leading faces of that movement.
Hadi was a vocal critic of
'India's influence in Bangladesh'
and Sheikh Hasina's Awami League, often making anti-India statements. He was running as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 seat in the general election scheduled for February 2026. On December 12th, while traveling on a battery-powered rickshaw, unknown assailants shot him. He later died during treatment at a hospital in Singapore.
This attack occurred just a day after Bangladesh's Election Commission announced that the first general election after Sheikh Hasina's removal would be held on February 12, 2026. Alleged shooter Faisal Karim told his girlfriend on the night before the incident,
“Something is going to happen that will shake all of Bangladesh.”
After Hadi's death, hundreds of people took to the streets of Dhaka. Islamist elements infiltrated this crowd, and the capital was gripped by violence and chaos. Cultural centers faced vandalism, and Sheikh Mujibur Rahman's house was attacked again.
Indian diplomatic missions in Dhaka and other cities were targeted, with anti-India slogans echoing. Even media institutions like The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, critical of both Hasina and the Mohammad Yunus government, witnessed arson.
Source: aajtak
All of this happened at a time when just a few months remain before the national elections, and the interim government, with support from Islamist groups, led by Mohammad Yunus is in power. On Saturday, anti-Sheikh Hasina, anti-Awami League, and anti-Student League slogans resonated across Dhaka while security forces remained on high alert. The interim government's chief advisor, Mohammad Yunus, personally attended Hadi's funeral prayers.
During the funeral, Yunus stated, “Dear Usman Hadi, we have not come here to bid you goodbye. You are in our hearts, and as long as Bangladesh exists, you will remain in the heart of every Bangladeshi.” He delivered this emotional speech before the funeral in the parliament premises. Meanwhile, security was tightened considerably. Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), Ansar, and the army were deployed around the funeral.
According to Channel 24, at Shahbagh Circle in Dhaka, crowds demanded justice for Hadi's killers, chanting, “Not Delhi, but Dhaka. Dhaka-Dhaka.” This slogan has resonated in all recent anti-India demonstrations in Bangladesh. Inkalaab Manch has demanded that Shahbagh Circle be renamed ‘Shaheed Hadi’.
Hadi's Grave Beside Kazi Nazrul Islam Sparks Debate
Preparations for Hadi's funeral beside Kazi Nazrul Islam's grave in Dhaka University’s grounds commenced on Saturday. After midnight on Friday, the university proctor, Saifuddin Ahmed, confirmed that Hadi would be buried near Nazrul's grave.
He stated that this decision was taken at an emergency online meeting of the Dhaka University Syndicate at 10:30 PM on Friday. According to the Dhaka Tribune, this decision was approved following two applications from the Cabinet Division and the Dhaka University Central Students Union (DUCSU). The site was surveyed, and a map of available spaces was developed and then given final approval.
Since September, DUCSU has been controlled by the student organization Islami Chhatra Shibir of Jamaat-e-Islami. The Chief Advisor of the Cabinet Division, Mohammad Yunus, has an executive office. According to The Daily Star, Inkalaab Manch stated in a social media post that Hadi's family requested he be buried next to Kazi Nazrul Islam. This decision has sparked intense debate.
Mostofa Amin, a supporter of the Awami League, wrote on X that Kazi Nazrul Islam was a symbol of tolerance and secularism. Usman Hadi represented extremism and identity-based hatred. Hence, his burial next to Nazrul is entirely a political decision.
Source: aajtak
Meanwhile, former journalist from Chattogram, A Rahman Mitu, wrote that it is a special blessing from Allah. The graves of rebel poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and today’s martyr Usman Hadi being aligned should be our wish. A user on the secular Bangla subreddit wrote that it's shameful for this thug to be buried with the great Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Who Was Sharif Usman Hadi?
Sharif Usman Hadi was born in 1993 in Jhalokati district. He moved to Dhaka and entered university politics. Dhaka University became the laboratory for his political career. The massive crowd at his funeral indicates how significant his popularity was in post-Hasina Bangladesh. This is an era where politics determines who will be made a hero and whose legacy will be questioned.
The very mosque where Kazi Nazrul Islam was buried in 1976 is now Hadi's final resting place. Hadi was a fiery, anti-Sheikh Hasina leader. His presence on stage was electrifying. During the movement of July-August 2024, he invoked passion among youth by reading Nazrul's ‘Bidrohi’ poem. Now, as he is buried next to that same poet, a heated debate has erupted in Bangladesh on whether Hadi is being elevated to the status of the national poet.
