The spokesperson of the Inquilab Mancha, student leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who died on Thursday, will be laid to rest beside the grave of Bangladesh's national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam. This significant decision was announced on Friday by a Dhaka University Central Students' Union (DUCSU) leader, honoring a request from Hadi's family.
Funeral Arrangements and National Tribute
Fatima Tasnim Zuma, the DUCSU leader, stated that the janaza, or funeral prayer, will be held on Saturday after Zuhr prayers at Manik Mia Avenue. The procession will then bring the body to the central mosque of Dhaka University. The final funeral prayers are scheduled for 2 pm at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building, as confirmed by the press wing of the country's interim government.
Hadi was a prominent figure in the July Uprising of 2024. Authorities have declared a ban on drone flights in the area during the janaza. There will be no public viewing of the body, and attendees have been instructed not to carry heavy objects or bags.
A Violent Aftermath Across the Nation
Soon after Muhammad Yunus, the chief adviser of the interim government, announced Hadi's death, violence broke out across Bangladesh. The offices of two major newspapers, Daily Star and Prothom Alo, were vandalised. In response, the Editors' Council and the Newspaper Owners' Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) issued a strong statement condemning the interim government's failure to prevent mob violence.
Progressive and left-wing cultural organisations were also targeted. A mob set fire to the main office of the leftist Udichi Shilpigoshthi in Dhaka. Similarly, the central building of the progressive cultural group Chhayanat was attacked, with rioters ransacking all seven floors and destroying musical instruments, artworks, and documents.
Anti-India Sentiment and a Tragic Killing
The unrest took an international dimension with protests directed at India. Stones were hurled at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram, prompting police to use baton charges and tear gas to disperse the crowd.
The National Citizen Party (NCP), an offshoot of Students Against Discrimination (SAD), led anti-India sloganeering. Without providing evidence, they alleged that Hadi's assassins fled to India and demanded the closure of the Indian High Commission in Dhaka until the suspects are returned. "The interim government must close the Indian High Commission in Bangladesh until India returns the assassins of Hadi bhai," said key NCP leader Sarjis Alm.
In a separate and tragic incident linked to the turmoil, a 25-year-old Hindu factory worker named Dipu Chandra Das was lynched to death and his body set on fire in Mymensingh.
Hadi's journey to this tragic end began on December 12, when he was shot in the head during an election campaign in Dhaka's Bijoynagar area. After a six-day battle for life, he passed away in Singapore on Thursday, as confirmed by a statement from Singapore's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
