Bangladesh tightened security on Saturday, deploying police and paramilitary forces in the capital Dhaka ahead of funeral prayers for a slain youth leader and election candidate whose death has sparked a surge of violence.
The funeral prayers for Sharif Osman Hadi were held in Bangladesh, drawing a large turnout of mourners who gathered to pay their respects to the Inqilab Moncho convenor. In line with his family’s wishes, Hadi was laid to rest beside the grave of Bangladesh’s national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam.
From the early hours of the morning, people arrived in groups at Manik Mia Avenue and the area in front of the Parliament complex was soon crowded. Some mourners wrapped themselves in the national flag, while others raised slogans calling for justice over Hadi’s killing.
Saturday has been declared a day of state mourning, with national flags flown at half-mast and special prayers organised at religious institutions across the country. The capital remained relatively calm during the day, following two days of protests by supporters of the Inqilab Moncho.
Ahead of the funeral prayers, security was tightened, with personnel from the Border Guard Bangladesh and the police deployed at the Parliament building and other key points in Dhaka, according to BDNews24.
Since Hadi’s fatal shooting, unrest in the country has included organised mob attacks targeting leading newspapers and cultural institutions.
Hadi, 32, a key figure in the student-led uprising last year that toppled longtime Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, was shot in the head by masked assailants in Dhaka last week while launching his campaign. He died on Thursday night in Singapore after six days on life support.
Bangladesh is to elect a new parliament on February 12 – a transition many hope will help the Muslim-majority nation of 175 million people recover from nearly two years of instability and reclaim its position as a regional success story.
But frequent bouts of violent protests and political wrangling among disparate groups including Islamist hardliners have punctured the national sense of euphoria that arose after Hasina was ousted in August 2024.
It has also exposed the limitations of the interim government of Nobel Peace Prize winner Muhammad Yunus, analysts say, raising questions over his grip on governance in the world’s largest apparel producer after China.
Yunus’ government, which declared Saturday a day of state mourning for Hadi, urged citizens to resist “mob violence by fringe elements”, warning that turmoil threatens Bangladesh’s fragile democratic transition.
Human Rights Watch called Hadi’s killing a “terrible act” and urged the government to act urgently to halt the violence that has gripped the country since Hasina’s ouster.
The group also condemned the attacks on media as an assault on free expression.
Bangladesh ranks 149th of 180 countries in the World Press Freedom Index. Rights groups warn that continued attacks on journalists and activists could further shrink civic space ahead of the election.
Amnesty International urged prompt, independent investigations into Hadi’s killing and the subsequent violence, including the burning of newspaper offices and harassment of journalists.
Demonstrations continued on Friday in the Shahbagh area of the capital, where crowds demanded justice for Hadi and accountability for the attacks. A mob stormed the Dhaka office of Udichi Shilpigosthi, Bangladesh’s premier progressive cultural organisation.
The violence has spread beyond the capital. In Chittagong, protesters attacked the Indian Assistant High Commission, reflecting growing anti-India sentiment since Hasina fled to New Delhi after her ouster.
Her party, the Awami League, which has been barred from the election, has threatened unrest that some fear could derail the vote.
With inputs from agencies
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