Osman Hadi’s janaza: Crowds gather on Manik Mia Avenue
People have begun arriving on Manik Mia Avenue, adjacent to the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban, to attend the namaz-e-janaza (funeral prayer) of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi, convener of Inqilab Moncho.
Crowds have been streaming onto Manik Mia Avenue in groups from the morning today, Saturday. Although the janaza is scheduled to begin at 2:00 pm, people started gathering from early morning.
Visiting the area around 11:30 am, people were seen entering Manik Mia Avenue via Farmgate and Asad Gate in large groups. Some were carrying the national flag in their hands, while others had it tied around their heads.
Inside, the field in front of the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban was already filled with people. They had split into smaller groups, chanting slogans such as, “We will all be Hadi, we will fight through the ages,” “Hadi Bhai’s blood will not go in vain,” and “Delhi or Dhaka, Dhaka Dhaka.”
Ahsan Ullah, who came from Lalbagh with friends, told Prothom Alo, “I have come to attend Hadi Bhai’s janaza. A huge crowd is expected today, so I arrived early.”
Special security measures have been implemented at all entrances to Manik Mia Avenue for the janaza. Attendees are being searched in several phases before being allowed inside. Military personnel are also on patrol, alongside large numbers of police, RAB, and Ansar.
According to the Dhaka Metropolitan Police (DMP), around 1,000 police officers equipped with body-worn cameras have been deployed for the janaza. In addition, traffic movement along Manik Mia Avenue has been restricted.
Osman Hadi’s janaza will be held after the Zuhr prayers. Following his family’s wish He will be buried beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam. After the janaza, his body will be taken to Dhaka University Central Mosque.
Sharif Osman Hadi passed away on 18 December while receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore. His body was brought back to Dhaka on Friday evening and kept in the morgue of the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases overnight.
This morning, Osman Hadi’s body was taken to Suhrawardy Hospital for autopsy and then returned to the National Institute of Cardiovascular Diseases. After Zuhr prayers today, his janaza will take place at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban.
On the afternoon of 12 December, the day after the schedule for the 13th National Parliamentary Election and the referendum was announced, miscreants shot Sharif Osman Hadi in the head on Box Culvert Road in Purana Paltan area of Dhaka.
Osman Hadi was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later transferred to Evercare Hospital for treatment. As his condition deteriorated, he was flown to Singapore by air ambulance on 15 December for advanced medical care. He breathed his last there on Thursday, 18 December, while undergoing treatment.