Staff Reporter :
Police have identified a suspected gunman in the shooting of Sharif Osman bin Hadi, a potential independent candidate for the 13th parliamentary election and spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha, an attack that has heightened concerns over political violence following the announcement of the election schedule.
The suspect has been named as Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Daud Khan, according to police officials and multiple sources familiar with the investigation.
Faisal Karim, whose full name is Faisal Karim Daud Khan, was previously involved with Bangladesh Chhatra League, the now-banned student wing affiliated with the Awami League.
He was listed as a member of the organisation’s central committee announced on May 11, 2019.
The shooting occurred on Friday afternoon, a day after the Election Commission announced the national election timetable. Osman Hadi, who is seeking to contest the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot on Box Culvert Road in the capital’s Purana Paltan area.
Police and eyewitness accounts say he was seated on a battery-powered rickshaw when a motorcycle approached from behind. The assailant, riding pillion, opened fire before fleeing the scene on the same motorcycle.
Osman Hadi was rushed to Evercare Hospital in Dhaka, where he remains under treatment. Inquilab Mancha has said his condition is still critical and that he is not yet out of danger.
Investigators say Faisal Karim came under suspicion after CCTV footage of the attack was analysed and compared with photographs circulating on social media and in news reports.
Several recent photographs show Faisal Karim alongside Osman Hadi at different locations, including the Inquilab Cultural Centre founded by Hadi.
Police believe the physical resemblance between the man seen in the CCTV footage and Faisal Karim is strong enough to warrant identifying him as the prime suspect.
On Saturday afternoon, the Dhaka Metropolitan Police distributed a photograph of the suspected shooter to media outlets, saying the individual had been identified through CCTV analysis.
The police urged the public to come forward with any information that could help locate him.
Separately, Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Jahangir Alam Chowdhury announced a reward of Tk 5 crore for information leading to the arrest of the shooter.
Further details about Faisal Karim’s background have also emerged. A former leader of Chhatra League’s Dhaka North unit confirmed that a LinkedIn profile under the name Faisal Karim belongs to the same individual now being sought by police.
According to the profile, he claims ownership of three firms—Apple Soft IT, YCU Technology, and Enlist Work.
The profile states that he completed a bachelor’s degree in computer science from a private university in Dhaka in 2013 and later obtained an MBA from another private university.
Chhatra League sources said that Faisal Karim was active on the streets alongside Awami League leaders and activists during the July 2024 mass uprising, when party-backed groups attempted to suppress protesters.
The source confirmed that the Faisal Karim now suspected in the shooting is the same individual who served as a member of the former central committee of Chhatra League under the leadership of Rezwanul Haque Chowdhury and Golam Rabbani.
The investigation is ongoing, and police have not yet disclosed whether formal charges have been filed. Authorities say further developments will depend on the arrest of the suspect and the recovery of additional evidence linked to the attack.
