Shaheed Sharif Osman Hadi, a frontline fighter of the July Uprising and spokesperson of Inqilab Mancha, was laid to eternal rest beside National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam near the Dhaka University Central Mosque on Saturday afternoon.
Hadi was buried around 3:50pm following his namaz-e-janaza, which was attended by hundreds of thousands of mourners at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. His coffin, draped in the national flag, was taken to the grave at approximately 3:18pm. Prayers and fateha were offered after the burial, seeking eternal peace for the departed soul.
Honouring the wishes of his family, Hadi was buried on the Dhaka University campus beside Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam.
Earlier, his namaz-e-janaza was held after Zuhr prayers at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building. Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus, advisers, senior government officials, political leaders and tens of thousands of people from all walks of life attended the funeral.
Hadi’s elder brother, Mawlana Dr Abu Bakar Siddique, led the janaza. Prof Yunus addressed the gathering, while Religious Affairs Adviser A F M Khalid Hossain read out Hadi’s biography. Inqilab Mancha Member Secretary Abdullah Al Zaber also spoke on the occasion.
Scenes of grief and resistance marked the South Plaza of the Sangsad Bhaban and Manik Mia Avenue, as mourners chanted slogans against fascism and hegemony and demanded justice for Hadi’s killing. Many were seen breaking down in tears over his untimely death.
Sharif Osman Hadi was shot on December 12 while travelling in a battery-run auto-rickshaw in the Purana Paltan area of the capital. He was initially taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital as his condition worsened. On December 15, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance for advanced treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries on Thursday night.
An aspiring independent candidate for Dhaka-8, Hadi is widely regarded as an “immortal soldier of the struggle against fascism and hegemony.”
His body was flown back from Singapore and arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport at 5:45pm on Friday. Following reinforced security measures, the coffin was taken through Hangar Gate No. 8 to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases mortuary, where it was kept overnight.
The interim government declared Saturday a day of state mourning. Stringent security arrangements were put in place for the funeral, with police, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) and other law enforcement agencies deployed across key areas of Dhaka. Twenty platoons of BGB, equipped with body-worn cameras and riot control gear, were stationed around the parliament complex, while the Dhaka Metropolitan Police deployed a large contingent, including 1,000 body-worn cameras. Drones and bags were banned in and around the area.
