Staff Reporter :
Even as cold winds swept through Dhaka, activists of Inqilab Moncho continued their sit-in at the Shahbagh intersection on Friday night, pressing their demand for the arrest and trial of all those involved in the killing of Sharif Osman bin Hadi.
The Moncho voiced deep anger, saying the government has so far failed to offer any effective response.
Speaking from the protest programme, the organisation’s member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber issued a warning, saying that no one would be given a “safe exit” unless justice is delivered for Hadi’s killing.
He added that, depending on the situation, a hardline programme could be announced at any moment, including surrounding the Chief Adviser’s residence, Jamuna, and the Parliament complex.
At the protest rally, Jaber sharply lambasted the government’s advisers, saying that those who think they can stay in power for a while and then leave the country should abandon that illusion.
“If you betray the blood that has been shed, the people will put you on trial on this very soil,” he said.
He added that although the current government came to power standing on the blood of 1,400 martyrs, it has failed to ensure justice for the killers.
For an administration that claims to have come to office with a popular mandate, he said, this is a matter of profound shame.
Addressing the advisers directly, Jaber asked who is standing in the way of justice in the Hadi murder case.
He demanded that they disclose the names of those behind the killing. “We will protect you, there is nothing to fear,” he said. “But if you fail to deliver justice, you will be held accountable.”
The platform, which emerged from last year’s student-led July Uprising that led to the fall of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, announced it would not withdraw its protest until justice is delivered. The blockade at Shahbagh has been in place since 2:00 pm on Friday.
Addressing protesters late at night, Inqilab Moncho member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber said the sit-in would continue throughout the night despite the cold. Blankets were brought to the site to help protesters endure the weather.
“Hadi Bhai had bought these blankets during his lifetime for people who had no clothing, but he did not get the chance to distribute them,” Al Jaber said. “We must stay healthy. When the programme ends, these will be given to the destitute.”
With Dhaka University admission tests scheduled for Saturday, Al Jaber said protesters would position themselves around the area from 9:00 am to ensure examinees could reach their centres. However, he made it clear the blockade itself would remain in place.
Leaders of the platform, along with people from different professions and social backgrounds, took part in the programme.
Alongside slogan chanting, poetry was intermittently recited during the protest. Moncho member Mohammad Shahin recited a poem during the demonstration.
Earlier in the day, Inqilab Moncho called on citizens through a Facebook post to gather at Shahbagh and join the sit-in demanding justice for Hadi, a spokesperson of the platform and prominent face of the July uprising.
He founded Inqilab Moncho in August last year and became widely known for his outspoken opposition to the ousted Awami League and to India.
“This blockade is ongoing and it will continue,” Al Jaber told the crowd. “Until everyone involved in the murder of Hadi – both the planners and the executors – is arrested, we will not leave the streets. We have no option left to return home.”
On Saturday morning, protesters temporarily moved from Shahbagh to the front of Aziz Super Market to make way for BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s visit to the grave of Sharif Osman Hadi.
After Rahman left the area, Inqilab Moncho activists returned to Shahbagh and resumed the blockade.
Hadi was shot on December 12 after Friday prayers in the capital’s Bijoynagar Box Culvert Road area while campaigning. Later he died in Singapore on December 18 during treatment.
Inqilab Moncho leaders reiterated that the Shahbagh blockade would continue until all those responsible for the killing are brought to justice.
