Two Key Accused in Sharif Osman Hadi Murder Sent to Jail Custody in India

A local court in the Indian state of West Bengal has ordered 12 days of judicial custody for the two main accused—Faisal Karim Masud and Alamgir Hossain—in the killing of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inquilab Mancha. The next hearing has been scheduled for April 2.

Speaking to journalists after the hearing, Faisal denied all allegations. He claimed he was not involved in the murder and suggested it could be a conspiracy by political groups. When asked about CCTV footage placing him at the scene, he said he was not seen firing any weapon and later denied being present at the location.

Authorities had previously filed a case against Faisal and Alamgir under the Foreigners Act. On Sunday, additional charges were filed under Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act.

Earlier, the two accused were presented before the Bidhannagar sub-divisional court in North 24 Parganas district. India’s central investigative agency requested permission to interrogate them in jail, which the court approved. Prior to this, they had been in 14 days of police remand.

They were arrested on March 8 from the Bangaon area near the Bangladesh border by the Special Task Force of West Bengal Police. According to officials, they had entered India illegally and were in hiding while waiting for an opportunity to return to Bangladesh.

The incident dates back to December 12, when Hadi was shot in the head while riding in a rickshaw in the Paltan area of Dhaka. He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital Dhaka for treatment.

As his condition worsened, he was airlifted to Singapore on December 15, where he died on December 18.

A case was first filed on December 14 at Paltan Police Station by Abdullah Al Jaber, a member secretary of Inquilab Mancha, accusing Faisal Karim Masud of attempted murder. After Hadi’s death, the case was upgraded to a murder charge.