Bangladesh: Student Leader Motaleb Shikder shot in the head days after Hadi’s Killing

By: The Trek News Desk

Violence targeting student and youth political leaders in Bangladesh continues to raise serious concerns, as another prominent figure has been attacked just days after the killing of student leader Sharif Osman Hadi. On Monday, unidentified assailants shot student leader Motaleb Shikder in the head in the southwestern city of Khulna, leaving him in critical condition.

The incident was confirmed by National Citizen Party (NCP) Joint Chief Coordinator Mahmuda Mitu, who said in a social media statement that Shikder, the party’s Khulna divisional head and central coordinator of its workers’ front, was attacked suddenly. He was immediately taken to Khulna Medical College Hospital, where doctors described his condition as serious.

Local media reports stated that the bullet struck the left side of Shikder’s head and that he had lost a significant amount of blood before reaching the hospital. Emergency medical treatment was initiated without delay, and later he was shifted to the hospital’s City Imaging Centre to assess the extent of his injuries.

The latest attack comes shortly after the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, a well-known face of the student-led protests that reshaped Bangladesh’s political landscape last year. Hadi was shot in the head by masked attackers during an election campaign event in Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area on December 12. The 32-year-old, who served as spokesperson of the Inquilab Manch and was a candidate in the upcoming February 12 general elections, died on December 18 while undergoing treatment in Singapore.

Following Hadi’s death, interim government chief Muhammad Yunus announced a nationwide mourning period and pledged strict action against those responsible. Despite these assurances, fresh incidents of violence have continued to surface.

After the attack in Khulna’s Majid Sarani area, police officials said they were yet to identify the attackers or determine the motive behind the shooting. A manhunt has been launched to trace and arrest those involved.

The back-to-back attacks have intensified concerns over law and order in Bangladesh, with growing questions being raised about the safety of political activists and the broader security environment in the country.

Source: News Agencies