Inqilab Moncho resumes Shahbagh blockade after pause for Tarique's visit to Hadi's grave

The platform has been occupying the Shahbagh intersection since Friday, demanding the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for Hadi’s killing

Activists from the political and cultural organisation Inqilab Moncho have resumed their blockade of Dhaka's Shahbagh intersection after BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman left the area following a visit to the grave of the platform's slain convenor Sharif Osman bin Hadi.

Around 12:30pm on Saturday, protesters marched from outside Bangladesh Medical University and took up position at the busy Shahbagh junction, chanting slogans demanding justice for Hadi’s killing.

The protest had earlier been temporarily moved away from Shahbagh to allow passage for Tarique motorcade. Inqilab Moncho activists had relocated to a position in front of Aziz Super Market ahead of Tarique's planned visit to Dhaka University, where Hadi is buried.

In a Facebook post earlier in the day, Inqilab Moncho said it had moved away from Shahbagh “on the occasion of BNP Acting Chairman Tarique Rahman’s visit” and announced that the sit-in would resume at noon. The group also called on people across the country to gather at Shahbagh to press for justice.

Inqilab Moncho has been occupying the Shahbagh intersection since Friday, demanding the arrest and prosecution of those responsible for Hadi’s killing. The blockade has caused severe traffic disruption in one of the capital’s busiest areas.

The group’s Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber said on Friday that the protest would continue until justice was ensured. Activists remained at the intersection overnight, braving the winter cold and performing dawn prayers at the site. The junction was cleared briefly shortly after 9am on Saturday to allow Tarique's convoy to pass.

Hadi, an independent election hopeful in the Dhaka-8 constituency, was shot on Dec 12 while campaigning in the Bijoynagar area of the capital. He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital, later transferred to Evercare Hospital, and then flown to Singapore for treatment. He died there on Dec 18.

Following a state-managed funeral prayer at Parliament's South Plaza on Dec 20, Hadi was buried next to the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.