Hadi was killed over his anti-Awami League remarks; charge sheet submitted, says DB chief

Inqilab Moncho spokesperson and July Warrior Sharif Osman Hadi was murdered by criminals backed by the Awami League for speaking out against the banned political party, said Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) Detective Branch (DB) Chief Shafiqul Islam on Tuesday.

Speaking at a press conference at the DMP media centre, the additional police commissioner said police have submitted a charge sheet to the trial court against 17 people, including fugitive prime accused Faisal Karim Masud.

Of the 17 accused, 12 have so far been arrested, he said, adding that most of the key suspects are linked to Awami League–affiliated organisations.

Shafiqul said Tajul Islam Bappi, an activist of the Awami League’s youth wing Jubo League, masterminded Hadi’s killing. Bappi serves as organisational secretary of Jubo League’s Dhaka North unit and is a former ward councillor of the Mirpur area.

The main shooter, Faisal Karim Masud, was a member of the Awami League’s student wing Chhatra League, while another accused, Alamgir, is a Jubo League activist from Adabor, according to the DB chief.

Although self-exiled Faisal recently released a video on social media claiming innocence, police have found strong evidence linking him to the fatal shooting, Shafiqul said.

Bappi, Faisal and Alamgir have fled to India, while two other accused—Faisal’s brother-in-law and another suspect named Philip—have gone into hiding at undisclosed locations, he told reporters.

Hadi was shot in the head at close range while campaigning on a battery-powered rickshaw along Box Culvert Road in Bijoynagar, Dhaka, after Friday prayers on December 12. Police said Faisal carried out the attack from a speeding motorcycle.

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