Killing of Sharif Osman Hadi Followed by a Wave of Online Misinformation

Two assailants on a motorcycle shot prominent Bangladeshi youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi in the head in Bangladesh’s capital, Dhaka, on December 12. Six days later, Hadi died.

For Bangladesh, Hadi was a central figure in the 2024 student-led uprising, a leading voice of the Inquilab Mancha movement, and an emerging political leader whose activism had positioned him as a potential parliamentary candidate ahead of the 2026 elections. He was known for his criticism of India’s involvement in Bangladesh’s internal affairs.

His death triggered violent protests in Dhaka and other parts of the country. Protesters demanded the resignation of the heads of the Ministry of Home Affairs and the Ministry of Law, accusing the authorities of failing to ensure Hadi’s security.

Amid this unrest, misleading and false claims emerged on social media platforms. In this article, Misbar investigates the most widely circulated claims.

Fabricated Video Claiming Al Jazeera Reporter Confirmed India’s Involvement in Hadi’s Killing

Soon after news of Sharif Osman Hadi’s killing began circulating, social media users shared a video they claimed showed Al Jazeera confirming India’s involvement in the assassination. The clip was widely reposted as purported evidence supporting allegations against Indian authorities.

However, closer examination shows that the video was manipulated and falsely attributed to Al Jazeera. A reverse image search showed that the video, published on the Al Jazeera English YouTube channel on December 19, included no mention of India’s involvement in Hadi’s killing.

The video showed Al Jazeera’s Tanvir Chowdhury reporting on violent protests by angry demonstrators in Bangladesh who were demanding justice. The only mention of India in Chowdhury’s entire report pertained to claims that India has influenced the current political situation in Bangladesh ahead of the elections.

Fabricated Video Falsely Claiming France 24 Reported India’s Intelligence Assassinated Hadi

In parallel, another video surfaced online claiming that France24 reported India’s intelligence agency, the Research and Analysis Wing (RAW), had hired agents to assassinate Sharif Osman Hadi, reinforcing narratives that India was directly responsible for the killing.

A review of the footage, however, reveals that the video was unrelated to Hadi and predates his death. When Misbar’s team used a reverse image search to trace the video back to its first publication, it found that the video was originally published in August 2024. In the video, France24’s Genie Godula reported that Noah Lyles won the men’s 100m final at the Paris 2024 Olympics, becoming the first American sprinter to claim the title in two decades after a photo-finish victory.

It could be noted that the viral video’s frames are identical to the original France24 report.

Outdated Video of Staged Protest in Bangladesh

Beyond fabricated news reports, a video circulated with claims that it showed Bangladeshi Islamists forcibly cutting the hair of students who wear Western clothes. The video was circulated as recent amid the current unrest in Bangladesh.

In reality, the footage depicts an earlier, staged cultural protest that had no connection to the current events or to Sharif Osman Hadi’s case. The video was shared in September 2025 by the YouTube channel of the Bengali-language daily newspaper Kaler Kantho. According to Kaler Kantho’s caption, the video showed cultural activists in Mymensingh, Bangladesh, staging a symbolic haircutting protest during a memorial event for legendary singer Farida Parveen in September.

A photo of the staged protest was published by the Bengali-language daily newspaper Prothom Alo, which identified the student whose hair was cut in the protest as poet Shamim Ashraf, president of the organization that arranged the protest.

According to Prothom Alo, the staged protest was held to condemn forcible haircuts targeting shrine culture devotees. The event responded to a viral video showing Halim Uddin Akand having his long hair shorn against his will.

Who Killed Sharif Osman Hadi?

While social media narratives attempted to implicate India in Sharif Osman Hadi’s killing, official investigations in Bangladesh found that the primary suspect in the killing is Faisal Karim Masud, a 32-year-old former leader of the now-banned Chhatra League, the student wing of the center-left Awami League.

Bangladesh police issued a nationwide lookout notice and imposed a travel ban on Masud, who remains at large. At a joint briefing, officials from the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, Rapid Action Battalion (RAB), and Border Guard Bangladesh confirmed that there was no verified evidence that Masud had fled the country, amid speculation that he had fled to India.

Bangladesh’s Additional Inspector General of Police, Khandaker Rafiqul Islam, confirmed that they had found no concrete evidence linking any political party to the murder.

Read More

Video of Fast Escalator in Bangladesh Misleadingly Linked to Muhammad Yunus’ Economic Policies

Video of Student Protest Misleadingly Shared in Relation to Bangladesh’s Recent Unrest