 "An activist holds a poster of Sharif Osman Hadi, senior leader of the student protest group Inqilab Mancha who was killed. AFP")
Amid continuing unrest in Bangladesh, Inqilab Moncho, a student platform led by slain youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi, has issued a 24-day ultimatum to the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government, demanding the speedy completion of the murder trial and action on a set of political and diplomatic demands.
The ultimatum was announced on Sunday night, December 28, from Dhaka’s Shahbagh intersection by Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inqilab Moncho.
Maintaining a strong anti-India stance, the group called for the suspension of work permits for Indian nationals and urged the Bangladeshi government to approach an international court if India does not extradite former prime minister Sheikh Hasina.
The demands come amid claims by the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) that two prime suspects in Hadi’s murder fled to India through the Haluaghat border in Bangladesh’s Mymensingh district, which has connectivity with Meghalaya.
However, the Border Security Force (BSF) and Meghalaya Police have rejected the DMP’s claims, describing them as a “false and fabricated narrative” circulated in sections of the Bangladeshi media. They denied that the suspects entered India through the Meghalaya border.
On Sunday, the DMP said the suspects crossed into India via the Haluaghat border area. Additional commissioner SN Nazrul Islam told The Daily Star that, according to police information, the two were received by an individual after crossing the border and were later taken by a taxi driver to Tura town in Meghalaya.
‘Entire killing squad must be tried within 24 days’
Addressing supporters, Jaber said, “The trial of the entire killing squad – including the killer, the mastermind, the accomplices, those who aided the escape, and those who provided shelter – must be completed within the next 24 days.”
The organisation also said, “To protect the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh, the work permits of Indians must be suspended,” adding that the government must file a case against India in an international court if it refuses to return convicted asylum seekers. It further demanded the identification of what it described as “collaborators of fascists” within civil and military intelligence agencies.
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View AllUltimatum reiterated on social media
In a post on its official Facebook page, Inqilab Moncho reiterated the 24-day deadline for the interim government to complete the trial and ensure punishment for all those involved in Hadi’s killing.
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot a day after Bangladesh’s Election Commission announced the date for the next general elections. He was later airlifted to Singapore for treatment, where he died on the night of December 18.
Protests and blockades continue
The platform has continued protests and blockades across the country in its push for justice. On Sunday, leaders and supporters of Inqilab Moncho staged a blockade at Shahbagh as part of a broader shutdown across major cities.
During a protest on Saturday night, environment adviser Syeda Rizwana Hasan and Dhaka Metropolitan Police commissioner Sheikh Md Sazzat Ali visited the protest site and spoke to demonstrators about the status of the investigation, according to The Daily Star.
Bangladesh rejects India’s minority violence concerns
Meanwhile, Bangladesh’s foreign ministry dismissed India’s concerns over alleged targeted attacks on minorities in the country.
In a statement, the ministry said, “We note that there are systematic attempts to portray the isolated incidents of criminal acts as systemic persecution of the Hindus and maliciously used to propagate anti-Bangladesh sentiments in different parts of India.”
It added, “We observe a selective and unfair bias in certain quarters, where isolated incidents are amplified, misrepresented and propagated to incite common Indians against Bangladesh, its diplomatic missions and other establishments in India.”