A case has been filed in a Dhaka court against an online news portal over allegations of publishing false information involving BNP-nominated Dhaka-8 constituency candidate Mirza Abbas, in connection with the shooting of Inqilab Moncho spokesperson Sharif Osman Hadi, a potential independent candidate from the same constituency.

Advocate Mohammad Sadikur Rahman Bhuiyan, a member of the Dhaka Bar Association, filed the complaint with the court of Dhaka Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Jesmin Islam on Sunday.

The court ordered the Detective Branch (DB) of police to investigate the allegations and submit a report after recording the complainant’s statement, Advocate Sadikur Rahman Bhuiyan confirmed.

According to the complaint, following the announcement of the 13th National Parliamentary Election, candidates from the Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP), other political parties, and independent candidates began campaigning freely while adhering to the electoral code of conduct.

It is alleged that during the campaign period, the accused and their associates knowingly published and disseminated false statements as fact before the public regarding the personal character and conduct of promising candidates, with the intention of influencing election results and attempting to extort illegal benefits from likely winning candidates.

The complaint further states that Osman Hadi, an independent candidate from Dhaka-8, was shot on 12 December after Friday prayers while participating in election campaigning, as part of a premeditated plan to undermine the election and obstruct the holding of a free and fair vote.

The attack was allegedly carried out by unidentified hired killers with the intent to kill Osman Hadi, under the direction of former “fascist” Sheikh Hasina and her associates.

Photographs of the assailant have already been published in various media outlets, and law enforcement agencies are reportedly close to identifying the actual perpetrators.

At that time, it is alleged, Ajker Kantho newspaper and its associates published a report on 12 December at around 3:25pm titled “Osman Hadi shot by Mirza Abbas’s cadres”, with the intent to influence the election outcome in Dhaka-8 and to extract other forms of illegal benefit from BNP-nominated candidate Mirza Abbas, who is considered a strong contender for victory.

The complaint claims that the report was entirely false and was published solely to damage the personal character and conduct of Mirza Abbas.