Dhaka, Dec 21: Tens of thousands of mourners flooded the streets of Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday to attend the funeral of Sharif Osman Hadi, a prominent student leader whose killing has triggered nationwide protests and renewed political tensions.
Hadi, 32, emerged as a key face of the 2024 student-led pro-democracy uprising and was preparing to contest the general elections scheduled for February. He was shot by masked gunmen while leaving a mosque in Dhaka and later succumbed to his injuries at a hospital in Singapore on Thursday.
The funeral prayers were held near the parliament complex amid heavy security, with police wearing body cameras deployed to prevent further unrest. Hadi’s body, flown back to Dhaka on Friday, was buried at the central mosque of Dhaka University.
Bangladesh’s interim leader Muhammad Yunus joined the mourners and addressed the crowd in an emotional speech, saying the gathering was not a farewell but a tribute to a figure who would live on in the nation’s memory. “We have not come here to say goodbye,” Yunus said. “You are in our hearts and you will remain in the heart of all Bangladeshis as long as the country exists.”
Supporters described Hadi as an outspoken critic of India, with some alleging that his political stance may have made him a target. “Hadi was killed because he staunchly opposed India,” said Iqbal Hossain Saikot, a government employee who travelled from afar to attend the funeral. He added that Hadi would continue to live “among the millions of Bangladeshi people who love the land and its sovereign territory.”
Hadi’s death has sparked violent protests across Bangladesh, with demonstrators demanding the immediate arrest of those responsible. In Dhaka, protesters torched several buildings, including the offices of leading newspapers Prothom Alo and The Daily Star. Critics have accused the publications of being sympathetic to India, where ousted former prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge following the 2024 uprising.
Human rights group Amnesty International urged the interim government to carry out “prompt, thorough, independent and impartial” investigations into Hadi’s killing and the violence that followed. The organisation also expressed concern over the lynching of Hindu garment worker Dipu Chandra Das over alleged blasphemy.
Yunus said authorities had arrested seven suspects in connection with Das’s killing in the central district of Mymensingh, as the country grapples with unrest on multiple fronts.
