Home Affairs Adviser Lt Gen (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury said on Sunday that the trial of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi’s murder would be completed during the tenure of the current interim government.
“I want to assure you that the trial of Hadi’s murder will be completed during the term of the current interim government, InshaAllah,” he told the media after a meeting of the Core Committee on Law and Order at the Secretariat.
The adviser said the interim government is determined to ensure justice in the murder of Hadi, a frontline fighter of the July uprising. “As you know, the police, BGB, RAB and other intelligence agencies are working intensively and in a coordinated manner to uncover the real facts.”
Jahangir Alam said significant progress has already been made in the investigation. “For the sake of the investigation and to identify the real criminals and their associates, not everything can be disclosed at this moment. I am sharing only what can be made public without hampering the investigation.”
He said 11 people have been arrested in connection with the case so far and six of whom have given confessional statements under Section 164, while four witnesses have also recorded their statements under the same section.
Law enforcement agencies have recovered two foreign pistols, 52 rounds of bullets, magazines and knives used in the murder, along with the motorcycle and fake number plate used in the crime, bullet shells, video and CCTV footage, and other evidence from the crime scene.
Signed cheques worth a total of Tk 218 crore from around 53 accounts have also been seized, he said.
The adviser said law enforcement agencies are continuing efforts to identify those behind the murder.
“The investigation is now at its final stage, he said, expressing hope that a charge sheet would be submitted within the next 10 days, by January 7.
Requesting patience from all concerned, he said the main mystery behind the murder and the full list of those involved would be revealed soon.
He added that a decision has already been taken to transfer the case to a Speedy Trial Tribunal, and authorities are making their utmost efforts to ensure justice in the heinous murder.
The adviser also warned that fascist allies, miscreants and terrorists are attempting to disrupt the process.
He urged everyone not to do anything that may strengthen our enemies or hinder the trial process of Hadi’s murder.
Osman Hadi, also a prospective candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot in the head on December 12 while travelling in a rickshaw on Culvert Road in Puratan Paltan.
Later, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18.