Dhaka/Chittagong/Khulna: The situation in Bangladesh is worsening day by day after the attack on radical youth leader Sharif Usman Hadi and his subsequent death. Tension is increasing in the areas near the border, while people of fundamentalist group are rioting all over the country. There is chaos from the capital Dhaka to port city Chittagong and industrial hub Khulna. Fundamentalists are declaring war against India and selectively targeting Hindus. In Mymensingh city, a Hindu was burnt alive in a public square. Rioters set fire to two newspaper offices in Dhaka and chased and beat journalists. With the help of the army, the lives of the reporters could be saved. The riots are continuing all over Bangladesh, the rioters are talking about ’18 crore martyrs’, but the head of the government, Mohammad Yunus, is silently watching the show.
Violence erupted after the death of Osman Hadi. Laab Manch leader Sharif Osman Hadi has passed away. As soon as the announcement was made, radicals took to the streets all over Bangladesh. Demolition, arson and violence continued in different cities throughout the night. When Hadi’s dead body reached Dhaka this evening, thousands of supporters of Inquilab Manch gathered at Shah-Jalal Airport in Dhaka. This crowd had come to receive the deadbody of Sharif Usman Hadi, one of the leaders who overthrew Sheikh Hasina last year. Seven days earlier, on December 12, Sharif Usman Hadi was shot by unknown people. Mohammad Yunus sent Hadi by air ambulance to Singapore for treatment, where he died yesterday.
Hadi was against Sheikh Hasina and India
Osman Hadi was a key leader of the rebellion against Sheikh Hasina’s government last year. He promised to implement Islamic law in Bangladesh. Usman Hadi was a staunch opponent of India and was the spokesperson of Inquilab Manch. But the Yunus government dissolved the Inquilab Manch. After this, Usman Hadi had announced to contest the elections as an independent candidate in February. Osman Hadi started the campaign on 12 December and was shot the same day. As soon as Usman’s death was confirmed last night, radicals started rioting across Bangladesh. The crowd was raising slogans like ‘Hang Hadi’s killers – hang them’. In fact, as soon as Mohammad Yunus confirmed the death of Osman Hadi in the night, Inquilab Manch appealed to the people to come out of their homes, and millions of people came out on the streets across the country.
Jamaatis created ruckus in Dhaka
After Hadi’s death, the people of Jamaat created a ruckus. Vandalism, looting and arson started everywhere in the capital Dhaka. A violent mob of fundamentalists attacked offices, markets and houses of leaders of Sheikh Hasina’s party Awami League. Whoever came forward was beaten badly. Many areas including Old Dhaka, Ahsan Manzil, Shahbag, Caravan Bazaar, Dhanmondi, Basundhara, Banani, Baridhara were captured by the rioters. The radicals openly looted and set fire, but the police were nowhere to be seen.
Hadi supporters did not even spare the media
Usman Hadi, for whom the fundamentalists set the entire Dhaka on fire, himself used to raise slogans of crucifying Sheikh Hasina and shooting the ministers of the Awami League government at the intersection. The surprising thing is that at that time a large section of the Bangladeshi media was supporting radicals like Usman Hadi and calling him a hero. But after the death of Osman Hadi, his supporters targeted the media. The offices of Bangladesh’s largest English newspaper Daily Star and Bengali newspaper Prathamo Alo were attacked. First the mob vandalized the offices of Prathamo Aalo and Daily Star. When the employees of both the newspapers left the office and ran away to save their lives, a mob of rioters looted all the items including laptops, computers, projectors from the offices of the newspapers, then the offices of Daily Star and Prathamo Aalo were set on fire.
Many questions raised on the role of police
The crowd of rioters stood outside the newspaper office till around 4.30 in the morning. Those who escaped the wrath of the fundamentalists raised questions on the role of the police. He alleged that police and fire brigade teams deliberately arrived late and the administration had given free rein to the radicals to riot. But Dhaka Metropolitan Police officials claimed that they had arrived at the right time and controlled the situation without any delay. SM Nazrul Islam, ACP of Dhaka Metropolitan Police, said, ‘We kept trying hard to control the crowd with the help of police forces throughout the night. Whatever was possible by us, we did. We have not at all failed to take action. We have still made adequate arrangements to control the crowd. But, it is not possible to say right now what will be the next step?
Violence instigated after Friday prayers
After the Friday prayers, leaders of Jamaat-e-Islami, Bangladesh Nationalist Party, Students’ Nationalist Citizens Party and Amaar Bangla Party instigated the people by citing the death of Usman Hadi. Slogans were raised in the name of Osman Hadi outside the mosques. Demanded hanging of Hadi’s killers. The crowd was shouting slogans that ‘We will not let Hadi Bhai’s blood go to waste.’ Student Ashafkur Rehman said, ‘We have lost a true patriot. I couldn’t sleep at night. I have come here to protest in the morning. We are deeply saddened by the demise of a patriotic and brave man like Martyr Usman Hadi.
18 crore Hadis will be born’
Another protester from Bangladesh said, ‘If the software becomes outdated then an updated version comes. If one Hadi is killed, 18 crore Hadi are born. They are all stupid people. Why don’t they want to understand that if one Hadi is killed then 18 crore Hadi will be born. Together we will save Hadi’s mission and vision. The mission is a short-term plan, we will convert it into reality. You will not get confused by any term. You media are the fourth pillar of the country. Through you our message will spread throughout the world. If any wrong words come out of our mouth by mistake, please skip them. We want revolution.
Hindu youth was burnt alive at the intersection
It is a matter of concern that fundamentalists in Bangladesh are targeting Bangladeshi Hindus under the guise of opposing India. Properties of Hindus are being burnt on the allegation of insulting Islam. Hindus are being thrown out of their homes and beaten. In the city of Mymensingh, about 125 kilometers away from Dhaka, a mob of Islamic fundamentalists took a Hindu out of his house and beat him badly, then brought him to the intersection and burnt him alive. The name of the Hindu who was brutally murdered in Bangladesh was Dipu Chandra Das. The scoundrels of the fundamentalist Jamaat had also accused Dipu Chandra Das of insulting Islam. While he was being burnt alive, hundreds of people were making videos of this brutality. There are hundreds of videos of Dipu’s public murder, but Bangladesh police did not find any evidence. Till now Bangladesh police has not even registered an FIR against the killers.
Attacks on cultural centers and Hindu culture
On Thursday night in Dhaka, fundamentalists not only targeted media houses but also attacked those centers which they consider symbols of Hindu culture. The Bengali Cultural Center Chhaya-Nat was also attacked in Dhaka last night. This cultural center of Dhaka works to promote Bengali culture. Poila Baishakh, the Bengali New Year, is celebrated here, which is held under the banyan tree. Programs are organized in the memory of Rabindranath Tagore and Kazi Nazrul Islam at Chhayanat Cultural Centre. The festival of Basant is also celebrated here. For this reason, Islamic fundamentalists of Bangladesh oppose Chhaya-Naat. Last night, a mob of rioters, shouting slogans of Allahu Akbar, entered Chhayanat, vandalized the building and then set the building on fire.
Fundamentalists linked Hadi’s death to India
Anti-India protests were taking place in Bangladesh for the last several days. After the firing on Usman Hadi, the radicals linked this incident to India. He alleged that India got Osman Hadi attacked. However, the Indian government objected to such allegations, asked the Bangladesh government to provide evidence and instructed them to rein in the radicals. But Mohammad Yunus kept watching the show silently. The situation worsened further after the death of Osman Hadi yesterday. Fundamentalists again tried to attack the Assistant High Commission of India in Chittagong. However, as a precautionary measure, the security of the diplomatic mission was increased, hence the plans of the rioters could not succeed. Sheikh Hasina’s party has blamed Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus and the Jihadi ministers of his government for this violence and chaos in Bangladesh.
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