Dhaka: The Bangladesh Police have named Faisal Karim Masud as the important thing accused within the killing of pupil chief and Inquilab Manch coordinator Sharif Osman Hadi, a homicide that has shaken the nation’s fragile political calm.
In line with investigators, two males have been recognized in reference to the taking pictures that left the younger chief useless. The police say the suspects are Faisal Karim Masud and Mohammad Alamgir Sheikh.
Studies declare that the 2 accused fled to a different nation after the assault. Social media posts have gone additional, alleging that each crossed into India. The Detective Department of the Bangladesh Police, nonetheless, has not confirmed these claims.
Police officers mentioned 13 individuals have to this point been arrested within the case. These detained embody members of Masud’s household in addition to others accused of helping the suspects earlier than and after the taking pictures.
Regardless of the arrests, authorities admit they nonetheless don’t have confirmed data on the whereabouts of Masud and Sheikh. The police say their passports have been blocked, making it tough for them to depart the nation legally.
What Police Know About Masud
Detective Department chief Shafiqul Islam instructed BBC that investigators are conscious of on-line claims suggesting Masud fled to India after the homicide. He mentioned these claims are unverified.
The Fast Motion Battalion and the Bangladesh Police have collectively arrested 13 individuals to this point. Amongst them are Masud’s mother and father, his spouse, his brother-in-law and a lady described by investigators as his girlfriend.
In line with the police, Masud had been in frequent contact along with his spouse, her brother and his girlfriend over the cellphone earlier than the assault. Investigators say proof gathered to this point point out that Masud fired the pictures that struck Hadi.
The police confirmed that three of the arrested family members have been positioned on remand for a complete of 9 days throughout two phases for questioning. Eight different people have been taken into custody for allegedly offering logistical assist at completely different phases, earlier than and after the assault.
Two members of a human trafficking community have additionally been arrested whereas probing potential escape routes utilized by the suspects.
The Dhaka Metropolitan Police earlier mentioned the Fast Motion Battalion had arrested Abdul Hannan, recognized because the registered proprietor of the bike used within the assault. The RAB tracked him via the bike’s registration quantity and handed him over to the Paltan police station.
Hannan allegedly instructed police that he had bought the bike earlier and claimed he had no data of the way it was later used. Investigators say the attackers wore helmets and fired at Hadi from very shut vary.
Concurrently, Bangladesh’s Nationwide Board of Income has ordered business banks to freeze all accounts linked to Masud and his IT firm, Apple Smooth IT Restricted.
The police have additionally mentioned that the suspects have been linked to politics related to the banned pupil organisation Chhatra League, the scholar wing of Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League. The group was outlawed in October 2024.
Past these particulars, a lot of what’s circulating about Masud is speculative, with investigators cautioning that confirmed data continues to be restricted.
Who Was Sharif Osman Hadi?
Sharif Osman Hadi rose to prominence in the course of the pupil protests in opposition to former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina in August final 12 months. He was one of the seen faces of the motion and a number one power inside the anti-Hasina Inquilab Manch.
Hadi was additionally making ready to contest the upcoming elections. On the time of the assault, he was campaigning as an impartial candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency.
The Inquilab Manch gained nationwide consideration in the course of the July 2024 pupil motion. Critics have described the group as hardline, accusing it of working to weaken the Awami League. Regardless of its position within the protests, the Mohammad Yunus-led interim authorities later dissolved the platform and barred it from contesting nationwide elections.
Hadi was shot in Dhaka on December 12 and suffered vital accidents. He was flown to Singapore for superior remedy however died on December 18. His loss of life triggered widespread protests that quickly turned violent.
Following the killing, large-scale unrest erupted throughout Dhaka. Workplaces of two main newspapers, Prothom Alo and The Each day Star, have been vandalised and set on hearth final week. Streets crammed with protesters, and anti-India slogans turned a recurring characteristic of the demonstrations.
India-Bangladesh Tensions Deepen
The violence has unfolded in opposition to the backdrop of worsening ties between Dhaka and New Delhi. After Hadi’s loss of life, protests in Bangladesh more and more took an anti-India tone.
Earlier, the Nationwide Citizen Celebration southern chief organiser Hasnat Abdullah had mentioned Bangladesh ought to have expelled India’s excessive commissioner. He warned that any try to destabilise Bangladesh would result in India’s northeastern Seven Sisters being remoted.
India responded by summoning the Bangladesh’s excessive commissioner in New Delhi, expressing severe concern over the safety of the Indian Excessive Fee in Dhaka.
Relations between the 2 neighbours have been tense since Hasina was ousted from energy in August 2024. Her ouster has triggered intense debate inside Bangladesh over India’s alleged position within the nation’s politics.
Hasina is presently dwelling in New Delhi. Her son, Sajeeb Wazed Pleasure, has accused the interim authorities of attempting to ascertain an Islamist system of governance.
Because the police proceed their seek for Masud, Hadi’s homicide is on the centre of a political storm, one which has uncovered deep fractures inside Bangladesh’s society, its establishments and its regional relationships.