Mourners mob slain student leader’s funeral

DHAKA, Bangladesh (AFP) — Massive crowds gathered in Bangladesh’s capital on Saturday for the funeral of a slain student leader, held under tight security after two days of protests and violence.

Tens of thousands of people joined the funeral procession to pay their respects to Sharif Osman Hadi, a key figure in last year’s pro-democracy uprising who was set to contest the general elections in February.

He was shot by masked gunmen last week while leaving a mosque in Dhaka, and died in a hospital in Singapore on Thursday.

“You are in our hearts and you will remain in the heart of all Bangladeshis as long as the country exists,” interim leader Muhammad Yunus said in an emotional speech in front of the parliament building, where funeral prayers were held.

Police wearing body cameras were deployed in the area, and flags were flown at half-mast to mark a day of state mourning.

Hadi’s body was then buried at the central mosque of Dhaka University.

Hadi, 32, was an outspoken critic of India, where Bangladesh’s ousted prime minister Sheikh Hasina has taken refuge since fleeing Dhaka in the wake of the 2024 uprising.

Iqbal Hossain Saikot, a government employee who traveled to the capital to attend the funeral, told Agence France-Presse that he believed Hadi was killed because of his staunch opposition to India.

“The millions of Bangladeshi people who love the land and its sovereign territory” will carry on Hadi’s legacy, said Saikot, 34.

Hadi’s death has triggered unrest, with protesters across the South Asian nation demanding the arrest of those responsible.