Press on for justice over Hadi murder

Sharif Omar Bin Hadi, elder brother of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, has expressed doubts over justice for his brother's killing and urged the people to continue the movement.

He said if the people truly loved his brother, sought justice for his murder and wanted Shahbagh to be established free from fascism and Indian hegemony, they must carry on with the movement.

He made the remarks yesterday at a doa mahfil organised by Jamaat-e-Islami at the Al-Falah auditorium in the capital's Moghbazar, marking the martyrdom of Osman Hadi, an aspirant for Dhaka-8.

On December 12, Osman Hadi was attacked while travelling by rickshaw near the water tank area in the capital's Bijoynagar. Two assailants arrived on a motorcycle and shot him at close range before fleeing.

Osman Hadi, who was later flown by air ambulance to Singapore for advanced treatment, died on Thursday.

Amid the state mourning on Saturday, he was laid to rest beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam in the Dhaka University area following his janaza, attended by hundreds of thousands of people.

At the doa mahfil, Omar Bin Hadi recalled his brother's struggle to establish an "Insaaf-based Bangladesh".

He stated that they were not seeking any financial assistance or donations for Osman Hadi's family. "Our only demand is that you complete Osman Hadi's unfinished revolution. If you agree, pledge that you will not rest until an Insaaf-based Bangladesh is established."

Meanwhile, Jamaat Secretary General Mia Golam Porwar, who presided over the doa mahfil, said the nation was concerned about who among the July fighters might be targeted next after Osman Hadi.

Calling on the government to take swift action, he said the shooting and killing of Hadi left candidates in all 300 constituencies worried about their safety.

The Jamaat leader said, "A section of journalists and stakeholders are saying on television talk shows, and poets and writers are writing, as if there can be no election unless the Awami League participates. Through this narrative, anti-hegemony forces are being taken to the brink at gunpoint."

He added that the shooting of a candidate the day after the election schedule was announced showed it was not an isolated incident but part of a "package programme".

The Jamaat leader opined that the chief adviser and the chief election commissioner could not evade the responsibility for the killing.

It is shameful that the chief election commissioner termed the attack an isolated incident, he said.

According to Porwar, attempts to re-establish "fascists" into the polity in the name of an inclusive election and a "refined Awami League" would not be accepted by the people, as it would endanger the nation's identity.

He also urged the government to place before the nation the steps taken so far to arrest the killers of Osman Hadi and ensure justice.

"If the killers have fled abroad, there are foreign missions and embassies, as well as various mechanisms, including prisoner exchange agreements with India. All of these must be used. The United Nations has expressed interest in investigating Osman Hadi's killing; if necessary, their logistical support should be taken," he said.