Dhaka – A one-day state mourning is being observed across Bangladesh on Saturday to honor Sharif Osman Hadi, who died in a Singapore hospital a week after being shot by masked assailants in Dhaka.
The funeral for Hadi, a key figure in last year’s mass uprising and a spokesperson for the Inqilab Manch cultural group, is scheduled for Saturday afternoon at Manik Mia Avenue.
His body was repatriated from Singapore on Friday. Hadi was shot in the head at close range on December 12 in Dhaka’s Paltan area while traveling by rickshaw. The assailants, wearing masks, fled on a motorcycle.
After initial treatment in Dhaka, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced care but succumbed to his injuries on Thursday. His death has sparked widespread protests across the country. During overnight demonstrations on Thursday, the offices of two major newspapers, The Daily Star and Prothom Alo, were vandalized and set on fire.
Following news of Hadi’s death, Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus announced the state mourning in a televised address to the nation.
To mark the occasion, the national flag is being flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government, and autonomous offices; educational institutions; public and private buildings; and at Bangladeshi missions abroad.
Special prayers for Hadi were held in mosques across the country after Friday prayers, with other places of worship also holding memorial services.
Hadi had intended to contest the upcoming parliamentary election in February as an independent candidate for the Dhaka-8 constituency.
