Investigation report deferred for 15th time

 
A Dhaka court on Wednesday once again deferred the submission of the further investigation report in the murder case of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, setting June 28 as the next date for its submission.

The order was passed by the court of Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Sefatullah after the investigation officer failed to submit the report on the scheduled date. The submission of the report has now been postponed approximately 15 times.

According to court sources, Assistant Superintendent of Police Abdul Qadir Bhuiyan of the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), who is overseeing the reinvestigation, was unable to submit the report before the court. Consequently, the court fixed June 28 for the next hearing.

Earlier, on January 15, Abdullah Al Jaber, member secretary of Inqilab Mancha and the complainant in the case, filed a no-confidence petition challenging the charge sheet submitted by the Detective Branch (DB) of police. Accepting the petition, the court ordered a fresh investigation into the case.

Hadi was shot on December 12 while returning from election campaign activities. According to the case documents, after offering Friday prayers and concluding campaign work in Motijheel, Hadi was travelling toward Suhrawardy Udyan in an autorickshaw. At around 2:20 pm, when the vehicle reached the Box Culvert area under Paltan Model Police Station, assailants allegedly opened fire on him and fled the scene.

Critically injured, Hadi was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital after surgery. He was subsequently flown to Singapore for advanced treatment on December 15, where he succumbed to his injuries on December 18.

The case was initially filed on December 14 at Paltan Police Station as an attempted murder case by Abdullah Al Jaber. Following Hadi’s death, it was converted into a murder case.