In her first major political programme after losing the state assembly election, former West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress leader Mamata Banerjee made a controversial statement regarding the murder of Bangladeshi political figure Sharif Osman Hadi. She claimed to know who was behind the killing and said that revealing the names would “create turmoil in Bangladesh.”
According to Kolkata-based media reports, Mamata was addressing a protest rally at Dharmatala Y-Channel on Tuesday, where she criticized the BJP-led state government over alleged post-election violence, bulldozer demolitions, and the eviction of street vendors.
Speaking from the protest stage, Mamata alleged that after the West Bengal Police Special Task Force (STF) arrested suspects linked to Hadi’s murder, she received a phone call from India’s Union Home Minister, Amit Shah. According to her, Shah requested that the arrest not be made public.
Mamata said, “The West Bengal STF had arrested a major accused linked to a murder case in Bangladesh that had triggered widespread protests there. I do not wish to comment on another country’s affairs, nor do I have the right to do so. However, the suspects had entered West Bengal through the Meghalaya border, and our STF successfully apprehended them.”
She further claimed, “After the arrest, Union Home Minister Amit Shah personally called me and asked that the matter not be disclosed publicly because it concerned national interests.”
Addressing Shah directly, Mamata raised a series of questions: “Who ordered the murder? Whose names had surfaced during the investigation? Even though the government has changed, I still know everything. My heart is a storehouse of information.”
She added, “I have remained silent for a long time. But the situation has reached such an extreme level that I felt compelled to speak. I do not want to reveal the name because, if I do, Bangladesh will be thrown into turmoil. I love Bangladesh, and in the interest of the country, I will not disclose it.”
Background of the Hadi Murder Case
On December 12, unidentified gunmen on a moving motorcycle opened fire on Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson for Inqilab Mancha and an independent candidate for Dhaka-8, while he was travelling in a rickshaw on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan, Dhaka.
He was initially rushed to the emergency department of Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital Dhaka at his family's request. On December 15, he was flown to Singapore for advanced treatment, where he died on December 18 while undergoing medical care.
Later, on March 8, the West Bengal Police STF arrested the main accused, Faisal Karim Masud, along with his associate Alomgir Hossain, from the Bongaon area of North 24 Parganas, near the Bangladesh border.
Note: The allegations made by Mamata Banerjee are her personal claims and have not been independently verified. No official evidence has been publicly presented to substantiate the allegations against Amit Shah or any other individual.