A public dispute surrounding the cultural platform Inquilab Cultural Centre has exposed divisions within Inquilab Mancha, with allegations centring on the formation of a trust, financial transparency, and disagreements over the organisational structure left behind by its founder, Sharif Osman Hadi.
According to the Hadi Foundation, established by people close to Hadi’s family, the crisis began after attempts were made following his death to alter the trustee board he had designated, take control of the Cultural Centre’s bank account and administrative authority, and disagreements emerged over financial accountability.
The leaders who announced their resignation, however, said they stepped down after months of unsuccessful efforts to resolve legal complications related to inheritance.
In a statement issued on Monday, the Hadi Foundation said Sharif Osman Hadi had completed all official procedures to establish the Inquilab Cultural Trust before his death.
The documents were ready to be submitted to the relevant ministry for final approval when he was killed. According to the foundation, Hadi had planned to run multiple cultural institutions under a single central trust.
The statement said Hadi had entrusted the responsibility of forming the trust to Sharif Omar Hadi, coordinator of Inquilab Mancha’s political wing. An 11-member board of trustees had also been finalised, with Hadi serving as member secretary and Omar Hadi included as a trustee.
The foundation alleged that just two days after Hadi’s death, Abdullah Al Jaber, Fatima Tasnim Juma and Borhan removed Omar Hadi from both Inquilab Mancha and the Cultural Center.
It further claimed that they later attempted to form a new trust by excluding six trustees, including Omar Hadi, who had been nominated by the founder. According to the statement, there were also attempts to take control of the centre’s licence and bank account.
The foundation said a subsequent review of legal documents revealed that ownership could not be changed and funds could not be withdrawn from the bank account without Omar Hadi’s consent or signature. It claimed this prompted the group’s leaders to resign collectively.
The Hadi Foundation also alleged that financial management within the organisation was another major source of conflict. It said disagreements intensified after some members sought a complete account of the centre’s income, expenditure, donations and other financial transactions, eventually escalating into a wider organisational dispute.
To resolve the crisis, the foundation proposed a four-point plan. It suggested allowing the current management committee to continue temporarily while forming the trust within three months, retaining the trustees nominated by the founder, expanding the trustee board to 21 members, creating a separate fund to pursue legal proceedings in Hadi’s murder case, and appointing Hadi’s wife, Rabeya Islam Shampa, or her nominee as member secretary.
Meanwhile, announcing his resignation in a social media post, Inquilab Cultural Centre Chairman Abdullah Al Jaber said that although Sharif Osman Hadi had initiated the process of forming the trust, he had been unable to complete it before his death.
He said efforts had been made over the past six months to resolve inheritance-related complications, but the situation had become increasingly complex. As a result, the centre had decided to hand over responsibility to the legal claimants after verifying the relevant documents.
Centre President Salauddin Shuvo also wrote in a social media post that despite efforts to expand cultural activities after taking office, persistent internal complications and continuous mental pressure had made it difficult for him to carry out his responsibilities.
However, Hadi’s family rejected allegations that they were claiming ownership of the Cultural Centre through inheritance.
Sharif Osman Hadi’s sister, Masuma Hadi, said in a social media post that under existing law, Hadi’s legal heirs are his mother, wife and child, none of whom had claimed control of the Cultural Centre. She described attempts to justify the resignations by blaming the family as baseless.
Last Wednesday night, Chairman Abdullah Al Jaber, Vice-President Fatima Tasnim Juma, President Salauddin Shuvo, Acting executive director Fahim Abdullah, Director of Financial Management Md Rayhan, and Deputy Executive Director Habibullah Misbah announced their resignations.
However, Jaber later told journalists that they remain in charge of the Cultural Centre and would provide a detailed explanation after returning to Dhaka.
