Faisal, Alamgir sent to 12-day custody in Hadi murder case

A West Bengal court has ordered 12 days of judicial custody for Faisal Karim Masud, also known as Rahul, and Alamgir Hossain, two of the main accused in the murder case of the Inqilab Mancha's spokesperson Sharif Osman bin Hadi. 

The accused were produced before the Bidhannagar Sub-Divisional Court in North 24 Parganas on Sunday, March 22.

Faisal and Alamgir will be produced before the court again on April 2. Previously, both had been charged under Section 14 of the Foreigners Act for illegal entry. New charges were added under Sections 16 and 18 of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act (UAPA).

The National Investigation Agency (NIA) of India had requested permission to interrogate the accused in custody, which was granted by the court. After leaving the court, Faisal denied involvement in Hadi’s killing, claiming the attack could have been orchestrated by Jamaat-BNP. 

He said that Hadi was “a product of Jamaat” and confirmed that he was in Bangladesh at the time of the murder. When questioned about CCTV footage, he denied any involvement in the shooting and said he did not know who carried out the attack.

West Bengal Police, in a raid, arrested Faisal and Alamgir from Bongaon area near the Bangladesh border on March 7. Later, they were initially sent to 14-day police remand. 

Special Task Force (STF) sources reported that both admitted involvement in Hadi’s killing and had crossed into India via the Meghalaya border, staying at various locations in the months preceding their arrest.

In a related development, Philip Sangma, who allegedly assisted the duo in entering India via the Meghalaya border, was arrested on March 13 by the STF. He was placed in seven-day remand and produced in court on Saturday after completing his remand period.

Osman Hadi, a prominent figure of the July Mass Uprising 2024, was shot in the head on December 12 last year while travelling on a rickshaw on Box Culvert Road in Dhaka's Bijaynagar area.

Later, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on the night of December 18.

On December 20, he was laid to rest beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at Dhaka University.

DM/MHK