Thousands of people gathered on Saturday to pay their respects at the funeral of prominent Bangladeshi leader Sharif Osman Hadi, who succumbed to critical injuries sustained earlier this month.
Chief Adviser Professor Muhammad Yunus confirmed Hadi’s death during a live national broadcast on state television. Hadi had been receiving treatment at a hospital in Singapore after being attacked on December 12 in Dhaka’s Paltan area, when unknown assailants set him on fire while he was travelling in an auto-rickshaw.
Professor Yunus noted that Singapore’s Foreign Minister, Vivian Balakrishnan, personally informed him of Hadi’s passing. He expressed gratitude to the Singapore government and Balakrishnan for overseeing Hadi’s care and vowed that those responsible for the attack would be brought to justice.
Hadi had planned to run as an independent candidate from Dhaka-8 in the upcoming elections. Despite being immediately transferred abroad for treatment, he could not be saved.
Describing his death as an irreplaceable loss for Bangladesh’s political and democratic future, Professor Yunus extended condolences to Hadi’s wife, only child, and family, assuring that the government would provide full support to the bereaved family.
A one-day official mourning has been declared, with the national flag flying at half-mast and special prayers to be held in mosques and other places of worship across Bangladesh.
