At least 40 activists from the Inqilab Moncho platform were injured in central Dhaka on Friday during a violent confrontation with police. The clash erupted near the Hotel InterContinental as protesters attempted to march towards Jamuna, the official residence of the Chief Adviser, to demand a United Nations-supervised investigation into the killing of their spokesperson.
A protest march by the youth-led platform Inqilab Moncho turned into a battlefield on Friday afternoon, leaving scores of activists injured and several in police custody. The group were marching toward State Guest House Jamuna, the residence of the interim government’s Chief Adviser, when they were intercepted by a heavy police presence near the Hotel InterContinental.
Witnesses reported that law enforcement officers used water cannons, sound grenades, and tear gas to disperse the crowd after protesters attempted to breach security barricades. In response, activists reportedly threw brickbats and stones, leading to a prolonged stand-off that disrupted traffic across the capital’s central artery for several hours.
Inspector Md Faruk, the officer in charge of the Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) police outpost, confirmed that dozens sought medical attention following the skirmish. Among the most prominent figures injured were Abdullah Al Jaber, the Member Secretary of Inqilab Moncho, and Salahuddin Ammar, the General Secretary of the Rajshahi University Central Students’ Union (RUCSU).
Hospital records identified over twenty other injured activists, including several female protesters. Video footage circulating on social media appeared to show police dragging female participants during the dispersal, sparking widespread criticism from the platform’s leadership. The condition of seven additional individuals remains under monitoring as they continue to receive treatment at DMCH.
The unrest follows a 24-hour sit-in staged by Inqilab Moncho outside Jamuna, which began on Thursday evening. The group is demanding an impartial, UN-monitored investigation into the assassination of their spokesperson, Sharif Osman Hadi, who was shot in the head on 12 December 2025.
Hadi, a prominent activist and prospective parliamentary candidate, succumbed to his injuries in a Singapore hospital on 18 December. While local authorities have previously linked the killing to political motives involving the now-disbanded Awami League, Inqilab Moncho remains sceptical of a purely domestic probe.
“Without a full guarantee of justice, we will not withdraw,” Member Secretary Abdullah Al Jaber had stated earlier during the sit-in, accompanied by Hadi’s widow, Fatima Tasnim Zuma. The platform argues that international oversight is essential to uncover the true masterminds behind the killing.
Friday clashes coincided with separate demonstrations by government employees over pay scales, stretching police resources across the city. To secure the Chief Adviser’s residence, six platoons of the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) were deployed at key intersections.
Following the afternoon violence, several hundred activists regrouped at the Shahbagh intersection, imposing a blockade that halted traffic until late evening. The protesters have vowed to continue their movement until the government formally requests a United Nations-led inquiry into the death of Sharif Osman Hadi.
