Bangladesh to hold funeral of youth leader Hadi amid tight security after unrest

Bangladesh will hold the funeral of youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi under heavy security on Saturday, a day after his death triggered widespread violence, vandalism and diplomatic concerns across the country.

Dhaka: Bangladesh is set to hold the funeral of a prominent youth leader on Saturday amid tight security following unrest in the country triggered by his death.

The funeral prayer will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at 2 pm, the press wing of the interim government of Bangladesh has announced.

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The government imposed a ban on flying drones in and around the Sangsad Bhaban during janaza, Prothomalo news portal reported.

Those wishing to attending the funeral have been asked not to carry any bags or heavy objects with them, it added.

In a social media post on Friday, Inqilab Mancha said, “Upon the family’s wishes, a decision has been taken to bury Hadi beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and to hold his funeral prayer after Zuhr tomorrow at Manik Mia Avenue.” The party also announced that there will be no public viewing of the body, and people were requested to pray for Hadi while maintaining order.

Bangladesh’s interim government on Friday urged citizens to resist violence by “fringe elements” as the body of a prominent youth leader arrived here from Singapore, amid fresh unrest in the capital following overnight rampages triggered by his death.

According to police, alleged radical right-wing activists set fire to the main office of the left-leaning Udichi Shilpigoshthi in the capital shortly after Sharif Osman Hadi’s body arrived in Dhaka from Singapore, where he had been undergoing treatment for fatal gunshot wounds inflicted by masked gunmen on December 12.

“The arson destroyed everything (inside Udichi’s office),” said Jamshed Anwar, general secretary of the country’s largest cultural organisation, founded in 1968.

A large number of police, BGB, and army members were deployed in front of the office.

Hadi was one of the leaders who had taken part in the student-led protests last year, termed as the July Uprising, and a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.

The body of Hadi, who was the spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at around 6 pm local time on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, amid tight security and widespread public mourning, state-run news agency BSS reported, quoting Biman General Manager (Public Relations) Boshra Islam.

Members of the Bangladesh Army, Armed Forces Battalion (AFB) and police were deployed in large numbers to maintain security when Hadi’s body was taken out of the airport, it added.

In a televised address to the nation on late Thursday, interim government Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus vowed to bring those involved in Hadi’s brutal murder to justice quickly, saying, “no leniency will be shown” to the killers.

He also urged citizens to keep “patience and restraint”.

However, various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner’s residence in Chattogram, soon after Yunus confirmed Hadi’s death.

Yunus has declared a one-day state mourning on Saturday.

Earlier on Thursday, soon after Yunus’ announcement, protesters took to the streets and attacked the offices of two leading newspapers — Prothom Alo and Daily Star, and vandalised Bangabandhu Memorial Museum with hammers in Dhaka, and demolished an office of deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina’s now disbanded Awami League party in northwestern Rajshahi city.

“From the beginning, the ongoing failure of the current interim government to prevent mob violence has been evident, and the latest incident is yet another horrific example,” the Editors’ Council and the Newspaper Owners’ Association of Bangladesh (NOAB) said in a joint statement.

Protesters also hurled bricks and stones at the residence of the Assistant Indian High Commissioner in Chattogram at 1:30 am, but failed to cause any damage.

Police responded with tear gas and baton charges, dispersing the crowd and detaining 12 protesters. A few injuries were also reported.

Senior officials assured the assistant high commissioner of enhanced security.

A mob also attacked leading progressive cultural group Chhayanat, founded in 1961, at Dhnmando area and ransacked the seven-storey building floor by floor, destroying musical instruments, artworks, and important documents.