Law enforcement agencies have identified Faisal Karim Masud, alias Daud Khan, a former leader of the now-banned Bangladesh Chhatra League (BCL), as the prime suspect in the daylight shooting of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, an independent candidate for Dhaka-8.
Hadi, a pro-Yunus mob leader and spokesperson for the radical Islamist group Inqilab Moncho, was critically injured in the attack on December 12, raising alarms about political violence just a day after the election schedule announcement.
Hadi remains in critical condition at Evercare Hospital following emergency surgery for a gunshot wound to the head.
The Attack
The assault occurred around 2:25pm on December 12 near Box Culvert Road in Paltan, as Hadi campaigned on a battery-powered rickshaw. CCTV footage shows two assailants on a motorcycle approaching and firing at close range before fleeing. Hadi was initially treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital before being transferred to Evercare Hospital.
Suspect Profile: Faisal Karim Masud
Based on CCTV analysis from the attack site and Inqilab Cultural Centre—where Masud was reportedly seen with Hadi recently—police identified him as the shooter. Masud, from Patuakhali’s Baufol Upazila and formerly residing in Adabor, has a criminal record, including a 2024 armed robbery of Tk17 lakh from a school, leading to his arrest with foreign pistols and ammunition. He secured bail shortly after.
Mainstream outlets like Prothom Alo and Bangla Tribune report Masud’s past as a central BCL member (2019 committee) and involvement in Awami League activities. Photos of him with former party figures and at events have surfaced, alongside recent images with Hadi, suggesting he infiltrated the campaign.
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Questions persist about Masud’s access to Hadi despite his criminal history.
Investigation and Manhunt
Raids on multiple locations linked to Masud have been unsuccessful, but police believe he remains in Bangladesh. A Tk50 lakh reward was announced by Home Adviser Lt. Gen. (Retd.) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury for his capture. DMP released his photos, urging the public to provide tips via emergency lines. No formal case was filed by late December 13, awaiting Hadi’s family.
Controversy Over Reporting
Amid the investigation, some social media claims and posts have attempted to distance Masud from BCL ties, labeling him a “secret Shibir activist.” Fact-checking efforts, including by organisations monitoring misinformation, have debunked attempts to portray him otherwise, affirming his documented BCL background and recent Awami League-linked activities.
Criticism has emerged against certain journalists and influencers, including Zulkarnain Sayer Khan and Jawad Nirjhar, accused of spreading unsubstantiated claims identifying Masud misleadingly or downplaying his Awami League/Chhatra League connections despite evidence of his involvement with Hadi’s group and prior robbery. Such reporting has been condemned as potentially misleading, especially given mainstream confirmations of his BCL history.
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The Yunus-led administration has condemned the attack, vowing justice, but some of the advisers, leaders of Yunus’ NCP, and Hadi’s family members have directly blamed the Awami League and the Indian intelligence, triggering the decision to start the second phase of the deadly Operation Devil Hunt.
First launched on February 8, this crackdown by joint forces is aimed at arresting the leaders and activists of the Awami League. Still, it is officially meant for curbing unrest and ensuring public safety.
In the first 14 days of the nationwide crackdown, the joint forces arrested at least 21,375 people and showed them arrested in cases related to the July violence and other crimes.
After Yunus captured power in August last year, over 700 Awami League leaders, activists, and supporters have been killed in mob attacks, and 100 died in police custody and prisons, and the party top brass, including five-time prime minister Sheikh Hasina, faced the severest punishments in the kangaroo courts. Yet, the party supporters did not stop demanding the resignation of the Yunus-led administration.
Moreover, Sheikh Hasina and her son, Sajeeb Wazed Joy, are giving interviews in international media, exposing the regime’s misdeeds and demanding fresh elections under a caretaker government.
The Awami League has rejected the Election Commission’s schedule, as the temporary ban on the party’s political programmes has not been lifted. Within two hours of the poll’s announcement, Reuters published the bombshell interview of President Shahabuddin, where he said that he wants to step down halfway through his term.
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He said that this decision stems from a deepening sense of sidelining by the Yunus-led regime, which he describes as having eroded his dignity and authority through deliberate acts of exclusion.
Despite his position’s constitutional weight, Shahabuddin, commander-in-chief of the armed forces, notes that Yunus has not met him for nearly seven months, his press department was stripped away, and in September, his portraits were abruptly removed from Bangladeshi embassies, consulates, and high commissions worldwide. This overnight elimination sent a chilling message, implying his own impending removal and fueling perceptions of instability.
The removal of the portraits, executed without consultation, amplified his isolation on the global stage. Shahabuddin formally raised this with Yunus, but no corrective action followed. In a personal letter to the Foreign Adviser, Md. Touhid Hossain, dated September 28, 2025, he conveyed shock and surprise at the incident, questioning why strategic measures were not taken to avoid disgracing the sitting president.
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