Anti-AL Remarks: Police File Charge Sheet in Hadi Killing

Sharif Osman Hadi

Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Moncho and known as a July Warrior, was killed for speaking against the now-banned Awami League, according to Dhaka Metropolitan Police’s Detective Branch.

DB Chief and Additional Police Commissioner Shafiqul Islam said on Tuesday that a charge sheet has been submitted to a trial court against 17 people in connection with the murder. Twelve of the accused have been arrested so far, while the prime suspect remains at large.

Speaking at a press briefing at the DMP media centre, Shafiqul said the killing was ordered by Tajul Islam Bappi, an organisational secretary of Jubo League’s Dhaka North unit and a former ward councillor in Mirpur. Most of the accused, he added, are linked to Awami League–affiliated organisations.

According to police, the shooter, Faisal Karim Masud, is a former Chhatra League activist, while another accused, Alamgir, is associated with Jubo League in Adabor. Despite Faisal’s recent social media claims of innocence, investigators said they have found strong evidence linking him to the crime.

Police said Bappi, Faisal and Alamgir have fled to India. Two other accused, including Faisal’s brother-in-law and another individual named Philip, are also absconding, with their whereabouts unknown.

Hadi was shot in the head at close range on 12 December while travelling on a battery-run rickshaw during his election campaign on Box Culvert Road in Bijoynagar, Dhaka. The attackers reportedly opened fire from a speeding motorcycle after Friday prayers.

He later succumbed to his injuries on 18 December while undergoing treatment at a hospital in Singapore.