The government has announced a bounty of Tk 50 lakh for information leading to the arrest of those responsible for the attack on Sharif Osman Hadi, an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency.
Home Affairs Adviser Lieutenant General (retd) Md Jahangir Alam Chowdhury made the announcement while speaking to journalists after a meeting of the core committee of law enforcement agencies at the Secretariat on Saturday, December 13.
He said the bounty would be given to anyone who provides information that helps identify and arrest those involved in the attack on Osman Hadi, who is also a spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha.
Urging the public to pray for Hadi, the adviser said he remains in critical condition. “With everyone’s prayers, if Allah wills, he will recover,” he said.
Describing the attack as an attempt to destabilise the upcoming national parliamentary election, Jahangir Alam warned that the interim government would take strict action against any effort to disrupt the electoral process.
He said the government is committed to ensuring the safety of frontline participants of the July uprising and has introduced special security measures to protect them.
Expressing deep sorrow over the incident, the adviser said the government is treating the attack with the highest priority.
Law enforcement agencies have been instructed to immediately arrest those involved and bring them to justice, he said adding that no leniency would be shown to anyone linked to the attack.
The attack on Hadi took place on Friday afternoon after Jumu’ah prayers in Bijaynagar, Dhaka.
According to police, CCTV footage and eyewitness accounts, gunshots were heard at around 2:20pm, after which two assailants were seen fleeing the scene on a motorcycle.
Police said the attackers arrived on three motorcycles and opened fire from one of them at Osman Hadi, who was travelling by rickshaw at the time.
Osman Hadi sustained critical injuries and is currently undergoing treatment at Evercare Hospital in the capital.