As protests turn violent in Bangladesh following the murder of Sharif Osman Hadi, the spokesperson of the anti-India organisation Inqilab Manch, Bangladesh’s young leaders are now attempting to divert the blame to India, aiming to whip up tensions. Hadi, an independent candidate for the Dhaka 8 constituency, was shot in the neck by a gunman while returning after campaigning.
Bangladeshi authorities claim Faisal, who was riding pillion on the motorcycle, fired at Osman Hadi last Friday. He then went to his sister’s residence in Agargaon on the same motorcycle and left the place in a CNG-run auto-rickshaw, accompanied by the motorcycle rider Alamgir Sheikh. The duo then crossed the border into India that same night via Mymensingh by road, according to the police.
Bangladeshi media reports said Faisal was assisted by two individuals, Sibyon Diu and Sanjay Chisim, in crossing the border. Both have been arrested and have been remanded by a Bangladeshi court. The police said Sibion Diu was the nephew of a former Awami League member of parliament and had long controlled a syndicate facilitating illegal cross-border movement of people and goods in the Haluaghat, Dhobaura, and Sherpur areas into India.
The murder that came two months before the general elections, the first after the ousting of Sheikh Hasina, has now been capitalised on by other parties, including the National Citizens Party, founded by the student leaders who were responsible for the 2024 unrest.
National Citizens Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam has already urged the interim government to suspend all relations with India if India doesn’t return the killer. “Since 1971, neighboring country India has been trying to establish political, economic, and cultural dominance in Bangladesh,” Nahid claimed.
Not just Nahid, anti-India forces are now using the pitch to ramp up their tirade. Students of Islamic University (IU) and leaders also took to the streets shouting anti-India slogans. “The India that saves murderers, break that India; The India that saves Hasina, break that India,” the Islamists chanted.
“We are here today to demand justice for the murder of Hadi, a strong voice that had risen against Indian domination. Hadi’s murder is not an isolated incident. After the murder, we came to know that the killers had fled to India. How they were able to cross the border and escape to India must be made clear to the nation,” they added.
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