SIRAJGANJ — Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesman for the Inqilab Manch platform and a front-line fighter in the July uprising, died Dec. 18 in Singapore while receiving treatment after being shot in an attack by what organizers called hegemonic fascists.
His death has triggered an atmosphere of grief, anger and protest across the country. As part of a two-day program by Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami’s central committee, the Belkuchi upazila Jamaat-e-Islami unit organized a prayer and discussion meeting Saturday afternoon, Dec. 20, at the upazila Jamaat office in Sirnagar.
The meeting was chaired by Ariful Islam Sohel, the Belkuchi upazila Jamaat chief. The chief guest was Alhaj Professor Md. Ali Alam, a member of the central Majlis-e-Shura, deputy chief of Sirajganj district Jamaat and a parliamentary candidate for the Sirajganj-5 (Belkuchi-Chouhali) seat.
“I pray to almighty Allah for the soul of the martyr Hadi,” Ali Alam said. “At the same time, I am demanding the resignation of the advisers responsible for failing to protect his life and for failing to arrest his killers so far.”
He said the grief and emotion among students and citizens after Osman Hadi’s death is justified and understandable. “But if any group tries to exploit this anger for its own interests, that can never be accepted. We are clearly expressing our concern that such activities could be a planned attempt to divert the movement in a different direction.”
In his presidential remarks, Sohel said: “We are demanding that those involved in Osman Hadi’s killing be quickly identified, brought to justice and given exemplary punishment.”
“In this critical time for the country, restraint, responsibility and national unity are the only ways forward,” he said. Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami believes the sacrifice of the martyrs can only be properly honored by establishing a democratic, peaceful and inclusive political environment, he said. He called on all patriotic students, citizens and members of the public to handle the situation with patience, awareness and responsibility.
Other speakers included Dr. Selim Reza, chief of Enayetpur police station Jamaat; Professor Maulana Mazharul Islam, secretary of Belkuchi upazila Jamaat; assistant secretary Maulana Mahbubur Rashid Shamim; Yusuf Babu, president of Chhatra Shibir’s Belkuchi upazila branch; and secretary Aryan Ismail. Leaders of the upazila, municipal, union and ward Jamaat units also attended.
At the end of the discussion, Professor Golam Azam, a member of the upazila working committee, led a special prayer for the soul of Sharif Osman Hadi.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report