A one-day state mourning is being observed across Bangladesh on Saturday following the death of Sharif Osman Hadi, spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha.
As part of the mourning programme, the national flag is being flown at half-mast at all government, semi-government and autonomous institutions, educational institutions, as well as on government and private buildings across the country and at Bangladesh missions abroad.
Osman Hadi died at around 9:30pm on Thursday at Singapore General Hospital, where he had been undergoing treatment.
He was shot in the head by assailants on 12 December in the Box Culvert Road area of Old Paltan in Dhaka, a day after the announcement of the schedule for the 13th national parliamentary election and referendum. He was first taken to Dhaka Medical College Hospital and later shifted to Evercare Hospital. As his condition worsened, he was airlifted to Singapore for advanced treatment on 15 December.
His body was brought back to Bangladesh on Friday evening.
His funeral prayer (Namaz-e-janaza) will be held on Saturday at 2pm at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. He will later be laid to rest beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam at Dhaka University.
The state mourning was announced on Thursday night by Chief Adviser Muhammad Yunus in a televised address to the nation at around 11:10pm. The Cabinet Division later issued a gazette notification formalising the decision.
According to the notification, Sharif Osman Hadi was a fearless frontline activist of the July mass uprising, a symbol of protesting youth, and spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha. The interim government expressed deep sorrow at his death and decided to observe state mourning in his honour.
At the request of the Ministry of Religious Affairs, special prayers were offered at mosques across the country after Friday prayers seeking forgiveness for the departed soul. Special prayers were also held at other religious institutions for the peace of his soul.
