Hadi’s family to get additional Tk 1cr alongside flat
In addition to providing Tk 1 crore to purchase a flat in Dhaka for the family of slain Inqilab Mancha convener Sharif Osman bin Hadi, the government will also give another Tk 1 crore to support the family’s living expenses.
Finance Adviser Dr Salehuddin Ahmed disclosed the decision while speaking to reporters after a meeting of the Advisory Council Committee on Government Procurement at the Secretariat on Wednesday, January 21.
Responding to questions, the finance adviser said two separate allocations had been approved for Hadi’s family. “One crore taka will be provided by the Ministry of Finance for the purchase of a flat or house. The entire amount may not be required,” he said. “Another Tk 1 crore will be given separately from the Office of the Chief Adviser for the family’s livelihood.”
When asked why the family was receiving both allocations, especially as Hadi’s brother had already been appointed to a diplomatic post abroad, Dr Salehuddin declined to comment, saying, “There is no point in asking me this.”
Asked whether the Ministry of Finance had formally approved the Tk 1 crore for housing, he replied in the affirmative.
The finance adviser, however, did not respond to a question about a comment by the commerce adviser that rice prices had increased by Tk 20 per kg due to the Padma Bridge.
According to official sources, Tk 1 crore has been allocated to purchase a 1,215-square-foot flat in Doel Tower, a residential building for government officials in Lalmatia, Dhaka.
The flat will be used by Hadi’s wife and children.
Sources in the finance ministry said the Ministry of Housing and Public Works recently sought approval for a grant to purchase the flat. The finance division approved the proposal on the condition that the identities of Hadi’s wife and children be verified.
Sharif Osman bin Hadi had announced his intention to contest the 13th national parliamentary election as an independent candidate from the Dhaka-8 constituency. On December 12, a day after the election schedule was announced, he was shot in the Box Culvert Road area under Paltan Model Police Station in Dhaka.
He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, where he underwent surgery, and was later transferred to Evercare Hospital. On December 15, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance for advanced treatment. He died on December 18 at around 9:30pm while undergoing treatment at Singapore General Hospital.
Police have said that the main accused in the murder case, Faisal Karim, a former Chhatra League leader, has fled to India.
Following Hadi’s death, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus said in a televised address to the nation that the state would take responsibility for Hadi’s wife and children. A day of state mourning was also observed.
On January 15, the interim government appointed Hadi’s brother, Omar bin Hadi, as second secretary at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Birmingham, the United Kingdom, on a three-year contractual basis.