The Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) on Saturday organised a nation-wide protest programme to condemn the heinous assassination attempt on Inqilab Manch founder Osman Hadi, who was shot by miscreants on Friday noon.
Hadi is an aspirant for Dhaka-8 constituency in the 13th parliamentary election.
BNP staged a demonstration in its central office at Nayapaltan from 1:00 pm.
All the district units of BNP and its affiliated organisations like Jatiyatabadi Chatra Dal, Jubo Dal, Swechchhasebak Dal and others participated in the protest.
BNP Standing Committee member Mirza Abbas said that the brutal attack on Osman Hadi is an attack on democracy.
He said, "Hadi is like my own son. When I heard that Hadi had been shot, I was mentally shocked. This attack is an attack on democracy. Those who carried out this attack have black hands, and those hands must be broken."
He said these while speaking at a protest rally held in front of the BNP's Nayapaltan office, organised by Dhaka Metropolitan South BNP.
Meanwhile, BNP Standing Committee member Amir Khasru Mahmud Chowdhury called on party leaders and activists to remain alert and vigilant, saying the country's politics is facing serious challenges from instability and intolerance.
He made the remarks at a workshop titled "Plan to Build the Country", organised by the BNP at the Krishibid Institution auditorium in the city.
Leaders from BNP city units of Dhaka, Sylhet, Khulna, Barishal and Mymensingh attended the programme.
Addressing the gathering, Amir Khosru said current politics is turning into "mobocracy", where disrespect, humiliation and instability are created on flimsy grounds.
BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed on the same day said anti-democratic and anti-election forces are behind the killing attempt on Osman Hadi.
He made the comment on Saturday while speaking to journalists after meeting the Chief Adviser.
Salahuddin said the attack on Osman Hadi should not be seen as an isolated incident, but as an attack on Bangladesh itself.
He pointed out that the life-threatening attack took place just one day after the election schedule was announced and appeared to have been carried out by professional criminals.
Our DU correspondent reports: Inqilab Manch staged a protest rally at Shahbagh, condemning the shooting of its spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi.
The rally, titled "Agitated Citizens' Gathering and Mass Resistance", began around 12:00 pm on Saturday in front of the National Museum at Shahbagh.
Leaders from various political and civic platforms attended the rally, including Editor of Daily Amar Desh Dr Mahmudur Rahman; Chief Organiser (South Zone) of the National Citizen Party (NCP) Hasnat Abdullah; AB Party Chairman Mojibur Rahman Manju; its Secretary General Barrister Asaduzzaman Fuad; Ameer of Khelafat Majlish Mamunul Haque; along with several DUCSU leaders and activists from different organisations.
Addressing the gathering, Hasnat Abdullah said the bullet fired at Hadi did not just pass through his head but "pierced the conscience of every citizen of Bangladesh." He alleged that individuals who had served the Awami League over the past 17 years are now appearing as television talk-show intellectuals, cultural activists, and opinion makers.
He further vowed that Indian dominance would not be allowed in Bangladesh in any form-whether through intellectuals, talk-shows, or institutions and urged people of all political leanings to remain united in favour of the country.
Dr Mahmudur Rahman, in his speech, issued a 48-hour ultimatum to the government, demanding the arrest of those responsible for the attack on Hadi.
He added that the struggle does not end with Hadi, warning that those who refuse to acknowledge the July uprising are serving foreign interests and corruption.
"So-called civil society figures have paved the way for fascism in Bangladesh. Do not expect them to change," he remarked.
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on Friday (December 12) afternoon in the capital while campaigning for the upcoming parliamentary election.
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