In a fresh twist to the murder case of Bangladeshi Islamist radical Sharif Osman Hadi, one of the prime accused, Faisal Karim Masud alias Daud, has denied all charges against him and rejected claims that he fled to India after the killing.
In a video message, which Zee News did not independently verify, Masud said he had no role in Hadi’s murder and alleged that the case against him was based on a “fabricated conspiracy.”
“I have no connection whatsoever to this incident. This is a false and fabricated case, a conspiracy, because of which I had to leave the country. I have now come to Dubai. I am in Dubai. I had a five-year multiple-entry Dubai visa, and I came here with great difficulty…Neither I nor my family have anything to do with this incident,” Masud said in a video circulating online.
Faisal Karim Masud claimed he had been falsely implicated in Hadi’s murder, saying that since Hadi had prior connections with Jamaat, the incident was orchestrated by Jamaat affiliates. He added that he was not on the bike, nor was the driver his younger brother.
“I have been falsely framed. Since Hadi had some prior connection with Jamaat, and these were Jamaat-related products, the Jamaat people somehow made this incident happen. I was not on the bike, and the driver of that bike was not my younger brother. Both of us have been falsely implicated,” Masud added.
Dhaka Police Claim
Masud’s statement comes days after Dhaka police, on December 28, alleged that two suspects, Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Sheikh, accused in the murder of Osman Hadi, had crossed into the Indian state of Meghalaya with the help of local associates.
Indian security agencies, however, rejected the claim, calling it “fabricated and malicious.”
Who Was Osman Hadi?
Osman Hadi, 32, a prominent critic of India and the Awami League, was shot in Dhaka on December 12 while campaigning ahead of the parliamentary elections. He succumbed to his injuries on December 18, six days after being shot in the head. Hadi was a rising political figure and had also been nominated as a candidate for the February 12 parliamentary elections.
Unrest After Hadi’s Death
Following Hadi’s death, widespread unrest erupted across Bangladesh. This included attacks on media offices and cultural institutions. Violence spread to central Bangladesh, where a Hindu factory worker was beaten to death by a mob in Mymensingh, further heightening tensions in the aftermath of Hadi’s killing.
During the unrest, several prominent sites were targeted, including the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, the national cultural institution Chhayanaut, the Indian Assistant High Commission offices in Chattogram and Khulna, the Indian Cultural Centre, and the remaining structures of the Bangabandhu Memorial Museum. Additionally, other media outlets, cultural institutions, and diplomatic establishments across the country suffered attacks or vandalism.
