Hadi killing: Inqilab Moncho vows to remain on streets till justice is served

Inqilab Moncho has declared that it will not leave the streets until those involved in the killing of martyred Sharif Osman bin Hadi are arrested. They have also warned that if the situation is worsened, they will be compelled to lay siege to the Cantonment or the Jamuna, the residence of Chief Adviser to the interim government.

In a Facebook post on Friday afternoon, Inqilab Moncho called the people of Bangladesh to come to Shahbagh and stage a sit-in demanding justice for the killing of Osman Hadi.

As announced earlier, Inqilab Moncho began a protest programme by blocking Shahbagh after Jummah prayers today, Friday, demanding justice for Hadi’s killing. People from various professions have also joined the programme. As the blockade continued for five consecutive hours, traffic congestion appeared on surrounding roads.

At today’s programme, Inqilab Moncho Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber said, “We will not leave the streets until everyone involved in the killing of Shahid Hadi—those who planned it and those who carried it out—is arrested. We have no option left to return home. Today we have blocked Shahbagh. Tomorrow it will be blocked again. People are coming from all over Bangladesh.”

Issuing a threat to lay siege to Jamuna, the residence of Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, if necessary, Hadi’s brother Sharif Omar bin Hadi, who participated in the programme, said, “Looking at the government’s condition, it is clear they have no interest in ensuring justice. The demand for justice for Osman Hadi is now the demand of 180 million people of Bangladesh. We have taken to the streets, and we will not return home until justice is served. We will be forced to announce even tougher programmes. Before the situation of the state deteriorates, we want to say this clearly—do not force us to lay siege to the Cantonment or Jamuna.”

Osman Hadi was the face of the July mass uprising. He formed Inqilab Maoncho in August last year. He was a possible candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency and had long been engaged in mass outreach. On 12 December, shortly after Jummah prayers, Osman Hadi was shot while riding in a rickshaw on Culvert Road in Puran Paltan in the capital. After shooting him in the head, the assailants fled on a motorcycle. He was later taken to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he died on 18 December. Last Saturday, his janaza was held on Manik Mia Avenue with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people. He was later buried beside the mausoleum of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Central Mosque of Dhaka University.

Inqilab Moncho has been continuing a series of programmes demanding the arrest and trial of Osman Hadi’s killers. As part of the pre-announced programme, they blocked the Shahbagh intersection today. Participants in the blockade chanted slogans such as: “Compromise or revolution—revolution, revolution”; “We will all become Hadi, we will fight through the ages”; “Shahbagh or justice—justice, justice”; “This country is my country—Bangladesh, Bangladesh”; “We want justice, we want justice for Hadi’s killing”; “The Hadi of the people never dies”; “Bangladesh’s freedom—Osman Hadi”; and “The days of civility are over—we want justice, Bangladesh,” among others.