Dhaka, Dec 22 (IANS) As Bangladesh continues to grapple with worsening law and order situation, radical platform Inqilab Moncho on Monday threatened to launch a movement to topple the Muhammad Yunus-led interim government if justice is not delivered in the murder of its spokesperson, Sharif Osman Hadi, local media reported.
Addressing a press conference in Dhaka, the platform’s member secretary Abdullah Al Jaber said that a 24-hour ultimatum announced during Hadi’s funeral on Saturday has expired without any action from the interim government’s Home Advisor Jahangir Alam Chowdhury or the Bangladeshi authorities.
“The deadline has passed without any visible steps from the Home Advisor or concerned authorities regarding the arrest of the accused,” Bangladesh’s leading newspaper, The Daily Star, quoted Jaber as saying.
He alleged that neither the Home Advisor, nor his special assistant, attended the ministry’s briefing, calling it a move to trivialise the incident.
“The Home and Law advisors, along with others concerned, are neglecting their duties and merely trying to avoid responsibility,” Jaber added.
The platform outlined a set of demands, including the immediate formation of a Speedy Trial Tribunal to hear the murder case, and called for assistance from international agencies such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation or Scotland Yard to ensure a transparent investigation.
Slamming the Bangladeshi intelligence agencies, Jaber said, “If intelligence agencies running on public tax money cannot identify the killers, there is no need to keep them.”
He also warned the Yunus-led interim government, stating, “Justice must be ensured before the election. If you cannot ensure justice, once the people start shedding blood, it will be unstoppable.”
Jaber announced that the platform would stage a protest procession following which it would decide its next course of action — whether to continue backing the interim government or launch a movement to oust it.
He vowed to stay on the streets until those responsible for Hadi’s killing, along with their patrons, are arrested.
The warning comes amid widespread violence across Bangladesh targetting minorities, media houses, cultural institutions and diplomatic missions under the Yunus-led interim government following the death of Hadi on December 18.
-IANS
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