Inqilab: Security is tightened in Dhaka as protesters assemble for the burial of Osman Hadi, the deceased moncho leader
Inqilab: Heavy security was in place around portions of Dhaka on Saturday as Inqilab Moncho activists gathered for the funeral procession of their murdered leader, Sharif Osman bin Hadi, two days after he was assassinated in Singapore.
At Manik Mia Avenue, south of the national Parliament Building, preparations are being made for Hadi’s funeral prayer. The funeral prayer is set at 2:00 PM local time. There are increased security measures and mobility restrictions in the region since the event is just a few hours away.
On December 12, Hadi, the convenor of Inqilab Moncho, was shot at close range while riding in a rickshaw in the Bijoynagar neighborhood of Dhaka.
He was transported by air ambulance to Singapore on December 15 in order to get advanced medical care. On December 18, he passed away from his wounds.
Activists in Dhaka staged demonstrations after learning of his death, calling for justice for their fallen leader. After Hadi’s corpse was returned to the capital on Friday, there were reports of many rounds of protests.
The atmosphere in Dhaka is still tense, despite Inqilab Moncho’s request to its followers to keep the funeral procession peaceful.
Amid the turmoil, a number of citizen organizations called for the home adviser’s resignation, claiming he had failed to keep the peace after Hadi was killed and the violence that followed.
16 organizations urged for quick action to restore law and order and voiced their serious concerns about the worsening public safety situation in a joint statement released on Friday.
According to BD News, the organizations include the Nagarik Coalition, University Teachers’ Network, Charan Sanskritik Kendra, Voice for Reform, Association for Land Reform and Development, Ganatantrik Odhikar Committee, and Network for Democratic Bangladesh.
“Even one year after the [July Uprising], the interim government has failed to ensure citizens’ safety from the ousted Awami League and other forces at home and abroad,” it said.
The assaults, destruction, and arson at the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star were also harshly denounced by Bangladesh’s Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB), who described them as a grave danger to press freedom.
The violence that followed Hadi’s murder, according to the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), was part of a plot to sow doubt before the country’s legislative elections, which are set for February of next year.
Following a meeting of the party’s National Standing Committee, BNP Secretary General Mirza Fakhrul Islam Alamgir presented the party’s stance during a news conference late on Friday night.
“We condemn and express our disgust at these heinous incidents,” Fakhrul said. “They show that a long-identified group is deliberately pushing the country towards chaos.”
The interim administration is still under tremendous pressure to keep the city peaceful as Inqilab Moncho cadres assemble for the funeral procession.