DHAKA: Dhaka has witnessed continued mass protests following the killing of young student movement leader Usman Hadi.
His body has been brought back to Bangladesh from Singapore and transported under tight security from the airport to Shahbagh, where hundreds of thousands of enraged protesters have already gathered.
Demonstrators remain on the streets, demanding justice and accountability for the attack.
Usman Hadi was critically injured last Friday when masked gunmen opened fire on him. He was rushed to hospital in critical condition and later shifted to Singapore for advanced treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries late last night.
He was a prominent leader of the student movement that led to the fall of Sheikh Hasina Wajed’s government.
Following the shooting, large-scale protests erupted across Dhaka, during which demonstrators attempted to breach barricades at the Indian High Commission, accusing India of backing the attack and facilitating the escape of the assailants.
Protesters have demanded the extradition of the attackers as well as former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
The protestor in Dhaka are chanting Anti-India slogans.
They call Narendra Modi, the Prime Minister of India, and the Butcher of Gujrat. Furthermore, they pray for Modi to burn in hell.
For the past two days, millions of protesters have occupied major roads in the capital.
It is noteworthy that a previous report on violent unrest in 2009 had alleged that Sheikh Hasina, with Indian support, orchestrated a planned killing of security personnel to weaken the Bangladeshi military and destabilize the country to prolong her rule.
Critics argue that India has a long history of interference in neighboring countries through proxy warfare, targeted killings, and state-sponsored terrorism.
Similar slogans were raised regarding Indian involvement in fueling Tamil militancy in Sri Lanka during the early 1990s.
Meanwhile, the United Nations has rejected India’s attempt to blame Pakistan for the Pahalgam incident and has strongly opposed India’s move to suspend the Indus Waters Treaty.
