Doctor believes bullet exited through Hadi’s skull

Doctors at Dhaka Medical College Hospital say the bullet that struck Sharif Osman bin Hadi may have passed clean through his skull.

Zahid Raihan, the neurosurgeon who operated on him, says Hadi is in “extremely critical” condition and that they are unable to offer any hopeful updates.

The convenor of the Inquilab Mancha platform and a potential independent contender for Dhaka-8 was shifted from Dhaka Medical College Hospital to Evercare Hospital around 8pm on Friday.

Earlier, Zahid said: “Hadi suffered two cardiac arrests. He has lost a massive amount of blood. Even after the surgery, blood was coming out of his nose and mouth. We cannot say anything optimistic about this patient.

“He is in the worst possible condition, but still alive. The rest is in God’s hands.”

The surgeon explained that they have left part of his skull open.

“In such cases, we remove the skull flap and clear the blood inside the brain to reduce pressure and allow the brain to swell if needed. This is the standard management for patients like him. After the operation, considering the need for advanced ICU support, he was shifted to Evercare at the family’s request.”

Asked whether the bullet is lodged inside or exited the head, he said: “It most likely came out. If a bullet remains inside, it would lie at the very centre of the brain, and we do not attempt to approach or remove it.”

“The bullet entered from the right side and exited through the left,” he added.

“We believe the bullet fractured the bone and exited. Some small fragments remained inside the head. During surgery, we removed and preserved them.”

Describing Hadi’s condition as "grave", Zahid added: "When we were operating, his brother, who was with him when he was shot, thought Hadi had already died. But he is still alive, though in a very critical state.”

“When he was being given anaesthesia for the operation, his body responded, according to the anaesthesiologist.”