Activists and researchers, including senior journalist Sultana Rahman, are exposing the ill efforts by quarters, including close aides of the Yunus-led interim administration, to divert the investigation into the shooting of radical Islamist mob leader turned MP candidate Sharif Osman Hadi.
The duo are Al Jazeera reporter Zulkarnain Saer Sami and International Crimes Tribunalโs Assistant Attorney General Tanvir Hassan Zoha. Both have long worked as paid agents of the deep state, ISI, and Jamaat-e-Islami, say activists.
Others establishing narratives include NCP leader Hasnat Abdullah, former adviser Mahfuj Alam, Islami Chhatra Shibir leader Abu Shadik Kayem, former army officer Col. Hasinur Rahman, daily Amar Desh editor Mahmudur Rahman, and YouTubers Pinaki Bhattacharya and Elias Hossain.
They provoked mob attacks on media outlets and Indian establishments on Thursday and Friday.
Hadi died in Singapore on December 18, six days after masked gunmen shot him in Dhaka on December 12 while he campaigned as an independent candidate.
His death triggered widespread violence, including arson at Prothom Alo and The Daily Star offices, attacks on cultural institutions like Chhayanaut and Udichi, and violent protests outside Indian diplomatic installations. Protesters, often under Touhidi Janata banners linked to radical groups, chanted anti-India slogans and targeted perceived pro-India or secular symbols.
False Narratives to Blame India and Awami League
Seven days since the shooting, the killers are still at large. Their whereabouts are not even confirmed by law enforcement agencies, yet the government and its supporters are creating one drama after another to cover up the main incident, bringing intense anti-India opposition to the forefront.
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At anti-India rallies, speakers declared: “India must listen to the voice of the people of Bangladesh.” Mahfuj Alam warned: “If you think you can enter Bangladesh, kill our brightest sons, and get away with it, then we will say: just as our sleep has been disrupted, yours will be disrupted too.”
Earlier, the BNP and Jamaat-Shibir were blamed for the murder. But within days, all quarters are blaming the Awami League, which has had no strong organisational base since August last year.
Hasnat Abdullah said that they would assist the separatists of the Seven Sisters and sever those from India. He even said that the interim government should have kicked the Indian High Commissioner out of the country for sheltering Sheikh Hasina.
These claims emerged despite police finding no verified evidence that assailants fled to India, highlighting efforts to exploit the tragedy for anti-India mobilisation and deflect from the probe.
The assault occurred around 2:25pm on December 12 near Box Culvert Road in Paltan, as Hadi campaigned on a battery-powered rickshaw. CCTV footage shows two assailants on a motorcycle approaching and firing at close range before fleeing. Hadi was initially treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital before being transferred to Evercare Hospital.
Zoha and Saer’s Role in Spreading Misinformation
Even before official investigations started, government supporters and aligned journalists acted as amateur detectives on social media, spreading unverified claims about attackers fleeing to India via Sylhet or Mymensingh bordersโlater proven false. One innocent person faced remand based on such misinformation.
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Expatriate journalist Zulkarnain Saer Sami and ICT prosecutor Tanvir Hasan Zoha flooded Facebook with updates, creating the illusion of real-time knowledge.
Sami labelled the suspect as a former Chhatra League leader, giving false information about his post in the party. His identification of the suspect as Faisal Karim Masud alias Daud Khan is also problematic, as the screengrab from the CCTV footage does not clearly show his face.
Questions persist about Faisalโs access to Hadi despite his criminal history. In 2024, he was arrested with foreign pistols and ammunition for an armed robbery of Tk17 lakh from a school. He secured bail shortly after with the help of Chhatra Shibir. A video has surfaced on social media that shows Hadi and Faisal waiting for the lawyer.
There have been conflicting versions regarding his bail, with some pointing at BNPโs Kayser Kamal for representing Faisal and others saying it was Jamaatโs Shishir Monir.
Zoha is a self-proclaimed IT expert who has benefited immensely under the Awami League, working on government projects and enjoying ICT Ministry perks. Photos show him with former State Minister Junaid Ahmed Palak just three years ago.
Yet, after the power shift, Zoha swiftly joined the anti-Awami League camp, becoming a key ICT-BD prosecutor under Jamaatโs controversial Chief Prosecutor Tajul Islam. He leads digital evidence hunts against Awami League figures while proudly posting about arrests.
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Zoha’s past includes the 2016 Bangladesh Bank heist controversy, where he entered the premises without permission and falsely claimed cyber security roles, denied by authorities.
In a 2016 interview, when confronted about fake credentials, Zoha said: “Our two-month project is off now… Regarding the investigation we are doing, based on intelligence agency letters, yes, we are doing this… I am working on behalf of the state’s investigative intelligence agency.”
Zoha went missing for days in March 2016, later claiming DGFI questioning. Media reports highlighted his law enforcement ties under the Awami League.
Despite objections from some interim supporters, Zoha secured stronger positions. Saer defended him on Facebook last October, claiming a short-term appointment never materialised.
Post-Hadi attack, Zoha’s false claims surged, including a suspect spotted on a Sylhet-bound train with its last location in Motijheel. Speaking to a TV channel, he said: “AI couldn’t find out where the train was going… We anonymously communicated…preliminary investigation saw his face matched, though not 100%.”
Law enforcement found opposite information, raising suspicions that Zoha deliberately misled to aid the criminals’ escape.
Inconsistencies in Medical Reports and Blame Game
Suspicion grew from conflicting medical statements. Initially, doctors said the bullet entered above the left ear and exited below the right. โWe suspect only one bullet… entered from the left side above the ear and exited to the right… massive brain injury… keeping him alive through artificial breathing.โ
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This raised questions: How could the shooter from the rickshaw’s right side hit the left ear? The left-side passenger on the rickshaw faced no questioning.
A day later, the duty doctor reversed: “The bullet entered from the right side of the ear and exited to the left.”
Hadi supporters in the Inqilab Moncho and Islami Chhatra Shibir initially blamed the BNP, attacking Standing Committee Leader Mirza Abbas in the hospital. On the other hand, BNP blamed Jamaat-Shibir publicly.
After Yunus’ meeting with the BNP, Jamaat, and NCP on December 13, the focus shifted to anti-India storms, burying the mystery. Yunus’ “meticulous design” faces renewed scrutiny.
Journalist Sultana Rahman’s exposรฉ highlights how these figuresโtied to radicals and foreign influencesโdivert scrutiny from potential internal motives, fueling violence that paralysed Dhaka and targeted media perceived as moderate.
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