Last Updated on December 31, 2025 10:23 pm by INDIAN AWAAZ
Zakir Hossain from Dhaka
In a fresh twist to the murder of Bangladesh’s July uprising leader Sharif Osman Hadi, prime accused Faisal Karim Masud has denied any involvement, claiming he is in Dubai, contradicting Bangladesh police assertions that he fled to India.
In a viral video message, Masud said, “I am Faisal Karim Masud. I want to state clearly that I am not involved in the murder of Hadi in any way. This case is completely false and based on a fabricated conspiracy.”
He claimed he was forced to leave Bangladesh due to “false implication” and travelled to Dubai despite holding a valid five-year multiple-entry visa. “Because of this false implication, I was forced to leave the country and come to Dubai. I came here with great difficulty,” he said, adding that his family was being “severely harassed and tortured” despite having “no involvement whatsoever”.
Admitting that he visited Hadi’s office before the shooting, Masud said the relationship was purely professional. “I am a businessman; I own an IT firm and was previously employed at the Ministry of Finance. I went to meet Hadi regarding a job opportunity,” he said, claiming he paid Hadi Tk 5 lakh as advance and donated to his programmes when asked. “Just last Friday, I gave him money for one of his programmes,” he added.
Masud alleged that Jamaat elements were behind the killing. “This incident is the work of Jamaat. Neither I nor my younger brother was on that motorcycle, and we have been deliberately framed,” he said, calling the harassment of his family “deeply disturbing and unacceptable”.
Bangladesh police had earlier said Masud and another accused, Alamgir Sheikh, fled through the Haluaghat border in Mymensingh and entered India via Meghalaya. New Delhi has firmly rejected the allegation, saying a “false narrative” is being pushed by extremist elements and that the attackers have no connection with India.
Sharif Osman Hadi, a key face of last year’s student uprising that led to the ouster of Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked gunmen in Dhaka on December 12 and died six days later at a Singapore hospital. Following his death, mobs torched the offices of Prothom Alo and The Daily Star, as well as cultural groups Chhayanat and Udichi Shilpi Goshthi, while a Hindu factory worker was lynched in Mymensingh.