A fresh clash broke out between the police and workers of Inkilab Manch in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday evening in the capital’s Shahbagh area demanding justice for the slain student leader Osman Hadi.
Supporters of Inkilab Manch held a protest rally demanding the trial of their party leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who was killed last December in Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Friday. (AP)About 40 to 50 people, including Dhaka-18 independent candidate Mohiuddin Roni, were injured in clashes during the protest, Dhaka Tribune reported.
According to reports, the police used lathicharge, tearshells and sound grenades to disperse the protesters.
This is the second protest in front of the residence of Bangladesh Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus on Friday. Earlier in the day, several government employees also protested at the venue, demanding implementation of the government’s new pay commission report.
40 protesters were confirmed injuredAccording to Dhaka Tribune, the clash between the police and workers of Inkilab Manch started around 7:50 pm when the police tried to remove the protesters from Shahbagh intersection. Demonstrators have been tense since the afternoon, demanding a trial and a UN-led investigation into the killing of Osman Hadi.
Police confirmed that around 50 workers were brought to Dhaka Medical College Hospital for treatment after the clash, news agency PTI reported.
Hadi, a frontline activist in the 2024 violent student-led street protests dubbed the July Uprising that toppled the Awami League government of then-Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was a candidate in the February 12 parliamentary election.
He was shot in the capital on December 12 while campaigning and was later injured.
The position of the interim governmentBangladesh’s interim government led by Chief Advisor Muhammad Yunus has reiterated its commitment to ensure justice in the Osman Hadi assassination case.
Yunus’ press secretary, Shafiqul Alam, said the government would ask the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) to take over the investigation to ensure full impartiality and justice.
In its statement after the clashes, Yunus’ office reiterated that the interim government was “thoroughly reviewing the legal aspects” of the UN investigation and would send a letter to the relevant UN agency on February 8.
