Bangladesh EC seeks extra security after candidate shot ahead of polls

Fresh unrest erupted in Bangladesh after gunmen shot an election candidate ahead of the upcoming parliamentary polls, prompting the Election Commission to seek additional security for its chief, other commissioners and senior officials.

Following the attack, the government ordered a nationwide security clampdown and announced plans to issue firearm licences to election candidates for their safety. The victim, Sharif Osman Hadi, a frontline leader of last year’s youth movement dubbed the “July Uprising,” was critically wounded in the attack.

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According to the state-run BSS news agency, reported late Saturday (December 13), the EC wrote to the Inspector General of Police (IGP), urging comprehensive security arrangements for the Chief Election Commissioner (CEC), Election Commissioners, and senior officials of the Election Commission Secretariat.

Security concerns ahead of polls

The EC simultaneously sought additional security for its field-level offices ahead of the 13th national election, after two of them came under attack by unidentified miscreants in southeastern Lakshmipur and southwestern Pirojpur following the announcement of the election schedule on Thursday.

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The commission demanded an additional escort vehicle for the CEC, who currently has one police escort in place. It also requested round-the-clock police escorts for the four commissioners and the senior secretary.

In its letter to the IGP, the EC noted that enhanced security measures were “urgent and necessary.” Officials said that the commission’s 10 regional offices, 64 district election offices, and 522 sub-district-level offices would store important documents and election materials.

Candidate shot at point-blank range

The EC announced on Thursday that the upcoming parliamentary election would be held on February 12, 2026. However, a day later, Sharif Osman Hadi was shot at point-blank range in the head and critically wounded while initiating his election campaign from a constituency in the capital.

Former Prime Minister Khaleda Zia’s Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) also urged Muhammad Yunus’ government to provide security for all candidates in the upcoming election, following the attack on Hadi, who leads a radical right-wing cultural group called Inquilab Mancha.

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“We demand that the real culprit be identified immediately and brought to justice, and we call upon this government to ensure the security of all candidates without delay,” BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir said.

It is worth noting that Hadi was a frontline leader of last year’s student-led violent uprising that toppled then–Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina’s government on August 5, 2024. His group, Inquilab Mancha, was also at the forefront of a campaign to disband the Awami League, which the interim government complied with in May this year, disqualifying the party from contesting the polls.

Operation Devil Hunt 2

Following the unrest, the government on December 13 ordered a nationwide security clampdown called “Operation Devil Hunt 2” and promised to issue firearms licenses to election candidates for their personal security.

Home Adviser (Retd) Lieutenant General Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said the government had taken steps to ensure special security for the “frontline fighters” of the July Uprising and pledged to issue firearms licenses to election candidates.

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He emphasized that the second phase of “Devil Hunt” aimed to ensure public safety and combat the growing threat of illegal arms. The operation was initially launched in February this year following protests over an attack on the private residence of a former minister from the ousted government in a northern suburb of the capital, targeting alleged “henchmen” and supporters of the now-disbanded Awami League.