Uprising warrior buried beside Poet Nazrul

Mass-uprising warrior and national electoral candidate martyr Sharif Osman Bin Hadi was laid to eternal rest beside National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam following mass funeral in Dhaka on Saturday afternoon, amid a renewed pledge for building an equitable Bangladesh.

His janaza was held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at around 2.30 pm with the participation of hundreds of thousands of people from different walks of life in an unprecedented crowd for such a ritual.

*Hadi, you are not lost --you are alive in all of our hearts," said interim government Chief Adviser Professor Dr Muhammad Yunus, who attended the janaza, in his pre-funeral speech.

Hadi's elder brother Abu Bakr Siddique led the prayers, after an emotion-fraught speech on behalf of the bereaved family of the late Inqilab Mancho chief.

BNP Standing Committee member Salahuddin Ahmed, Bangladesh Jamaat-e-Islami Ameer Dr Shafiqur Rahman and Secretary-General Professor Mia Md Golam Parwar, and National Citizens Party (NCP) convener Nahid Islam were among others present.

Religious Affairs Adviser Dr A F M Khalid Hossain and Member-Secretary of the Inqilab Mancho Abdullah Al Jaber Jaber also spoke on the occasion.

Bangladesh on the day observed national day of mourning over the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, who was fatally wounded in a drive-by daylight gun attack in Dhaka the day after the election schedule was rolled out.

As part of the observance, the national flag was flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous bodies, educational institutions, as well as government and private buildings across the country. The flag was also kept at half-mast at Bangladesh missions abroad.

Various organisations and institutions marked the day by offering prayers, seeking eternal peace for the departed soul.

"The venue for funeral prayer exceeded the anticipated capacity much ahead of the scheduled funeral prayer as people from different parts of the country started gathering since early hours of Saturday morning, turning the area into a veritable human sea," says firsthand account of the scenes.

By 1.00 pm, the fields on the southern side of Parliament Building, its adjacent Manik Mia Avenue and nearby areas, including Farmgate, Bijoy Sarani and Asad Gate areas, became overcrowded with spillover attendees.

People joined individually or with procession uttering slogans of respects to the spirit of "revolutionary martyr" Osman Bin Hadi, under tight security.

Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP) said around 1,000 officers equipped with body-worn cameras were deployed in the area to monitor the situation and maintain order.

The mourners-many carrying Bangladesh's national flag-- chanted different slogans such as "We will all become Hadi, and we will continue to fight through the ages" and "We will not let the blood of Brother Hadi go in vain", "Inquilab Jindabad".

With their fiery voices they also protested any aggression from external forces and vowed to safeguard the independence and sovereignty of Bangladesh.

"We'll not bow our heads," the head of post-uprising government, Prof Yunus, said in tribute to the front-line activist of the uprising.

Of the mourners, a private service-holder, Shafiqul Islam, joined the funeral prayer coming from Mirpur area.

Talking to the FE Correspondent, he said he couldn't help resisting himself joining the prayer to show his respect to the valiant youth who became a "metonym of revolution in recent times".

Redwanul Haque Babu, convening committee member of BNP, Nilphamari district, told the FE that Hadi has become a symbol of national resistance.

"My party and its activists joined the funeral, as Hadi inspired courage and worked to advance Bangladeshi nationalism."

He demands immediate arrest of the Hadi killers, in tune with the family and the Mancho.

Like Mr Haque, umpteen people gathered in Manik Mia Avenue and adjacent areas.

Army personnel, Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) members, and police were deployed throughout the area.

Earlier on Friday evening, Hadi's body was brought back to Bangladesh from Singapore where he succumbed to bullet injuries in his brain. His body was kept in the mortuary of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases (NICVD) in Sher-e-Bangla Nagar. On Saturday morning, his body was taken to the nearby Suhrawardy Medical College Hospital for conducting an autopsy which was followed by the required procedure, including a bath, as per Islamic rites.

Under tight security, an ambulance carrying his body entered the parliament complex through the Asad Gate shortly after 1:00 pm.

Soon after the Janaza, Hadi was taken on last journey to the University of Dhaka (DU) campus where many dignitaries, well-wishers and fellows were waiting to say final adieu.

At around 3:00 pm, the ambulance carrying Osman Hadi entered the university campus under heavy security provided by police, RAB, and Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB).

Security measures across the campus were tightened surrounding the burial. Entry of the public was restricted, and more than a hundred members of police, BGB, and RAB were deployed. University officials and staff also formed security cordons to help maintain order.

He was buried at 3:30 pm on the southern side of Nazrul's mausoleum and the northern side of the Central Mosque of Dhaka University. Senior officials of the University administration, DUCSU representatives, national-level leaders of various political parties, and members of Hadi's family were present during the burial.

Speaking at the time of burial, DU Vice-chancellor Professor Niaz Ahmed Khan said the cemetery adjacent to the Central Jame Mosque is not merely a burial ground but a symbol of the university's highest honor.

"This place holds the grave of Rebel Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. Several members of the Dhaka University family who sacrificed their lives in the Liberation War are also buried here. By burying Shaheed Hadi at this site, the University of Dhaka has paid its deepest respect to one of its own," he said.

Meanwhile, many protesters who attended the funeral prayers remained stationed at Shahbagh during the burial proceedings.

Sharif Osman Hadi was shot at close range while travelling by rickshaw in the city's Purana Paltan area on December 12. Two assailants boarded on a motorcycle opened fire on him.

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