Widow of Sharif Osman Hadi Demands Justice for His Killing On A Facebook Post
Rabeya Islam Sompa, the wife of slain activist Sharif Osman Hadi, has demanded justice for her husband’s murder, describing it as her sole and highest demand above all worldly expectations. She made the call through a series of Facebook posts seeking justice at 4:23 pm on January 16.
In her post, Sompa wrote, “My only demand to the state—for myself and my child—is justice for the killing of my husband, Shaheed Osman Hadi. Justice for Osman Hadi’s murder stands above all worldly desires and expectations.”
Earlier, in a Facebook status posted at 2:40 pm on Wednesday, January 14, she had questioned whether justice for Osman Hadi’s killing would ever be delivered. She also expressed surprise over the absence of any protest programme announced by Inqilab Mancha.
Elaborating further, she wrote that the very thought of justice not being delivered should be rejected outright. “Justice must be ensured at any cost. If justice is not served, Osman Hadis—revolutionary heroes—will no longer be born in this country. But why is there such a delay? Why is it taking so much time?” she asked.
Referring to a speech by Osman Hadi at a programme, Sompa recalled his quotation from Rabindranath Tagore: “In simple words, tell me this—why simple truths are so hard to say simply.” She added that she was not engaging in arguments or explanations, but noted that everyone already knows why things are not proceeding easily. Quoting Osman Hadi, she reminded readers: “Our struggle is long. A believer’s life is a life of struggle. We must continue that struggle.”
Sompa also shared some of Osman Hadi’s own words about Inqilab Mancha, saying he once described it as his “first child,” with his son Firnas being the second. According to her post, Osman Hadi had spoken of how the young activists of Inqilab Mancha worked selflessly without pay, often struggling even for food, with no concern for their own future—something he felt responsible to secure for them.
Meanwhile, on December 16, Inqilab Mancha staged protests after Friday prayers in Dhaka, Chattogram and other parts of the country, demanding justice for Osman Hadi’s killing.
Separately, on January 15, the government issued a notification from the Ministry of Public Administration’s Contract and Foreign Appointment Wing, signed by Joint Secretary Abul Hayat Md Rafiq, appointing Osman Hadi’s brother, Omar bin Hadi, on a contractual basis as Second Secretary at the Bangladesh Assistant High Commission in Birmingham, the United Kingdom.
Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha and an independent candidate in the 13th National Parliamentary Election from the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot by armed assailants on December 12 in the capital’s Bijoynagar Kalvert area. He was attacked while returning home by rickshaw after completing election campaigning.
He was initially treated at Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred the same day to Evercare Hospital. On December 15, he was taken to Singapore for advanced treatment, but he died at Singapore General Hospital at around 9:30 pm on December 18.
His funeral prayer was held on December 20 at the South Plaza of the National Parliament building. He was later laid to rest beside the mausoleum of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Central Jam-e-Mosque of Dhaka University.
DBTech/SM/MU/OR
