Bangladesh is again burning in the fire of violence. There was violence throughout Thursday night. The reason for the violence is said to be the death of youth leader Sharif Usman Hadi, who was shot during the election campaign and died during treatment in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday. It is alleged that the student leader who led the rebellion against the Sheikh Hasina government in 2024 had distributed maps of so-called Greater Bangladesh, in which many Indian areas were shown as part of the country.
Last week, he was shot in the head by masked attackers while starting his election campaign in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. Doctors in Dhaka said that his condition was very critical, so the interim government of Muhammad Yunus sent him to Singapore by air ambulance. He died six days later. after his death bangladesh Again burnt in the fire of violence.
Before this, during the rule of Sheikh Hasina, students had protested violently and violence continued for several days in Bangladesh. Ultimately Sheikh Hasina was forced to leave Bangladesh and take refuge in India.
What is Sultanate-e-Bangla?
According to several reports, Hadi allegedly circulated maps of Greater Bangladesh online and showed them to people. Large parts of eastern and north-eastern India are shown in these pictures. It included Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and the entire north-east, as well as Arakan (Rakhine) state of Myanmar and was shown as part of so-called Greater Bangladesh.
The map of ‘Sultanat-e-Bangla’, which was shown at the Dhaka University Poila Baishakh Exhibition earlier in April this year. ‘Sultanat-e-Bangla’ or ‘‘Greater Bangladesh’ is a controversial socio-political concept that envisions a greater Bangladesh comprising parts of neighboring India and Myanmar. Maps related to this idea were shown on social media and in exhibitions. This idea is linked to nationalist thinking and is taken from historical states like the Bengal Sultanate or the Pala dynasty.
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Some people say that’The idea behind the ‘Sultanate-e-Bangla’ controversy dates back to the last years of the British Raj. In 1947, leaders such as Sarat Chandra Bose, brother of Subhash Chandra Bose, and Muslim League leader Husain Shaheed Suhrawardy had suggested a united and independent Bengal, separate from both India and Pakistan. This proposal was called Sarat Formula or Bengal Pact. It initially got the support of Gandhi and Jinnah, but it failed after strong opposition from the Congress and the League high command.
The map of ‘Greater Bangladesh’ was first made in 2018
In 2018, Rabbir Hussain Bhuiyan was the first to create a ‘Greater Bangladesh’ map, which showed these enlarged boundaries. Now they broadly refer to this history, but they go much further. History says that Bose never supported capturing Indian territory to expand Bangladesh.
However, the Bangladeshi government has not officially supported the ‘Greater Bangladesh’ idea. Officials have also said that the investigation into Hadi’s murder has nothing to do with any regional or foreign policy issue.
Hadi became famous due to student revolt of 2024
Usman Hadi rose to fame during the 2024 student revolt in Bangladesh, which ultimately led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina from power. Later he became the spokesperson of Inquilab Manch and contested the general elections as an independent candidate. Hadi was known for his sharp political talks and aggressive public style.
After news of his death spread, large crowds gathered in Dhaka and other cities, demanding the arrest of those behind the attack. Some people resorted to arson and vandalism.
Officials said buildings housing media offices such as The Daily Star and Prothom Alo were set on fire, trapping staff inside. In Rajshahi, protesters reportedly used bulldozers to demolish a local office of former prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League party.
Violence before elections on 12 February
General elections will be held in Bangladesh on 12 February next year. Before this election, Bangladesh has again become unstable and has started burning in the fire of violence. These elections will be held about one and a half years after the coup against former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina. After the coup on August 5, 2024, Hasina left the country and went to India. Since then, an interim government led by Muhammad Yunus is running in Bangladesh.
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Hasina’s party will not be allowed to contest the upcoming elections. In May 2025, the Election Commission suspended the registration of the country’s largest political party, Awami League. Many senior leaders of the party have been arrested, and it has been barred from participating in elections or political activities.
Ahead of the elections, the students’ political party, National Citizen Party (NCP) has formed a new alliance called Democratic Sanskar Alliance. This front includes Amar Bangladesh (AB) Party, which was separated from Jamaat-e-Islami, and Rashtra Sanskriti Andolan.
NCP was formed in February this year. Its student leaders were at the forefront of the anti-Hasina protests last year, due to which the Sheikh Hasina government ultimately had to resign on August 5, 2024.
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