Hadi murder case: Bangladesh police file chargesheet against 17, term it ‘political vengeance'

Hadi killing linked to politics

Bangladesh police on Tuesday said student leader Sharif Osman Hadi was killed out of “political vengeance” allegedly at the behest of the Awami League, as they filed a chargesheet against 17 people in the case.

“Through public rallies and social media, Hadi had strongly criticised the past activities of the now-banned Awami League and Chhatra League. Hadi’s outspoken remarks angered leaders and activists of Chhatra League and its affiliated groups,” Md Shafiqul Islam, Additional Commissioner of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch, was quoted as saying by news portal tbsnews.net.

The Chhatra League is the student wing of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s Awami League.

“Considering the political identities of the accused and the victim’s previous political statements, the investigation has revealed that Hadi was shot dead due to political vengeance,” Islam said while briefing the media in Dhaka, after the DMP submitted the chargesheet against the 17 accused.

Sharif Osman Hadi, 32, a spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho, rose to national prominence during the July–August 2024 mass protests that led to the fall of the Hasina-led government. He was shot in the head on December 12 during an election campaign in Dhaka. Hadi was also a parliamentary candidate for the February 12 elections.

He was later airlifted to Singapore for treatment, but succumbed to his injuries on December 18.

Islam said the alleged shooter, Faisal Karim Masud, was directly linked to the Chhatra League. Another accused, Taizul Islam Chowdhury Bappi, allegedly helped Masud and another prime suspect, Alamgir Sheikh, flee after the killing. Bappi was the president of Pallabi Thana Chhatra League and an Awami League-nominated ward councillor, he added.

So far, 12 people have been arrested in connection with the murder.

A day earlier, Home Affairs Adviser Jahangir Alam Chowdhury had told reporters after a meeting of the Advisory Council on law and order at the Secretariat that the final chargesheet in the case would be submitted on January 7. Police, however, filed the chargesheet a day ahead of schedule amid protests in Dhaka by Inqilab Moncho, which has been demanding justice for Hadi’s killing.

(With inputs from PTI)