Independent MP Candidate Mahiyuddin Roni Injured in Police Baton Charge at Shahbagh

Tension flared again at Shahbagh intersection in the capital as protesters demanded justice for the killing of July fighter Sharif Osman Hadi. Independent parliamentary candidate for Dhaka-8 constituency, Mahiyuddin Roni, was seriously injured during a police baton charge while trying to protect demonstrators.

The protest began on Friday (6 February) afternoon at Shahbagh, where demonstrators gathered demanding the trial of Hadi’s murder. When protesters attempted to march towards Jamuna, police blocked members of the Inqilab Mancha at the site.

Later, police launched a heavy baton charge to disperse the protesters. During the clash near Aziz Market at Shahbagh, Mahiyuddin Roni—also a former student of Dhaka University—stood in front of the protesters in an attempt to shield them. Witnesses said that when he questioned the police about the reason for attacking protesters, 8 to 10 police personnel surrounded him and beat him severely with batons.

At one point, Roni fell onto the road, but the beating allegedly continued. Eyewitnesses reported that one police officer left the scene and then returned to poke him with a baton, while another officer attempted to assault him again. The attack stopped only after another police officer intervened.

Following the incident, tension further escalated in the Shahbagh area.