B'desh to hold funeral of slain youth leader amid tight security
Dhaka/ New Delhi (PTI): Bangladesh is set to hold the funeral of prominent youth leader Sharif Osman Hadi on Saturday amid tight security following unrest in the country triggered by his death.
The funeral prayer will be held at the South Plaza of the National Parliament Building at 2 pm, the press wing of the interim government of Bangladesh has announced.
The country is also observing a day of state mourning following the death of Hadi, who was one of the prominent leaders of the student-led protests last year, which led to the ouster of the deposed prime minister Sheikh Hasina-led government. He was also a candidate for the scheduled February 12 general elections.
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Hadi, the spokesperson of the Inqilab Mancha, was shot in the head on December 12 by masked gunmen as he initiated his election campaign at central Dhaka’s Bijoynagar area. He died while undergoing treatment in Singapore.
The announcement of his death late on Thursday triggered overnight rampages in various parts of the country.
In a social media post on Friday, Inqilab Mancha said, "Upon the family's wishes, a decision has been taken to bury Hadi beside the grave of national poet Kazi Nazrul Islam and to hold his funeral prayer after Zuhr tomorrow at Manik Mia Avenue."
The party also announced that there would be no public viewing of the body, and people were requested to pray for Hadi while maintaining order.
A large number of law enforcement personnel have been deployed in and around the Parliament complex, and a tight security cordon has been imposed across the entire area, according to the Dhaka Tribune newspaper.
The government has also imposed a ban on flying drones in the area, and those wishing to attend the funeral have been asked not to carry any bags or heavy objects, it said.
Dhaka Metropolitan Police has said traffic will be suspended from Khejur Bagan Crossing to Manik Mia Avenue as a large turnout was expected, bdnews24.com news portal reported.
People from different parts of the country gathered at Shahbagh on Friday in a mourning procession, while attendees began arriving at Manik Mia Avenue from Saturday morning. The crowd is expected to grow as the day progresses, the report said.
As part of the state mourning, national flags were flown at half-mast at government offices, including the Secretariat in the capital, state-run BSS news agency reported.
Various parts of the country were rocked Thursday night by attacks and vandalism, including stone-hurling at the Assistant Indian High Commissioner's residence in Chattogram, attacks on offices of leading newspapers, and vandalism at Bangabandhu Memorial Museum, soon after Chief Adviser Muhhamad Yunus confirmed Hadi's death.
The interim government on Friday urged citizens to resist violence by “fringe elements” as Hadi's body arrived here from Singapore, amid fresh unrest in the capital.
Hadi's mortal remains arrived at Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport (HSIA) at around 6 pm local time on a Biman Bangladesh Airlines flight, amid heavy security.
After the flight's landing, videos shared on social media showed Hadi's followers lining up on both sides of the road from the airport to Shahbagh to receive him, before his coffin, draped in the national flag, was brought to the Dhaka University Central Mosque for a public meeting.
Former prime minister Khaleda Zia-led Bangladesh Nationalist Party (BNP) has alleged that unrest is part of a broader conspiracy to destabilise Bangladesh.
VIDEO | Bangladesh: People throng the Parliament area to attend the funeral of July uprising leader, Sharif Osman Hadi, in Dhaka.
— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) December 20, 2025
Hadi, one of the leaders who had taken part in the student-led protests last year – termed as July Uprising - and a candidate for the scheduled… pic.twitter.com/gVP3hmY1oS
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Chhatrasal Stadium murder case: Delhi HC seeks police's stand on wrestler Sushil Kumar's bail plea
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court on Friday sought the stand of Delhi Police on a bail plea by Olympian Sushil Kumar in the murder case of former junior national wrestling champion Sagar Dhankar.
Justice Anup J Bhambhani issued notice to Delhi Police and the kin of the deceased, and asked them to file a status report and a reply, respectively.
Noting that the Supreme Court had cancelled the bail granted to Kumar by the high court in August last year, the judge remarked, "I think you are being ambitious."
"Once the Supreme Court has taken a view, what do you expect from me?" the court asked.
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The counsel for the accused said the bail plea should be considered since all public witnesses have been examined in the trial.
The counsel for Delhi Police and the deceased's kin, however, said all public witnesses were yet to be examined.
"Let a status report/detailed reply be filed before the next date of hearing. Renotify on May 4," the court said.
Kumar was arrested in May 2021 and a sessions court granted him a week's interim bail for his knee surgery on July 19, 2023.
On August 13, 2025, the Supreme Court cancelled Kumar's bail, setting aside a March 4 high court order and noting that his "domineering influence" over witnesses or delaying the trial proceedings could not be ruled out.
On February 6 this year, a trial court refused to grant bail to Kumar, saying the possibility that the accused might influence witnesses "cannot be ruled out".
The trial court, in October 2022, framed charges against Kumar under Indian Penal Code sections dealing with murder, criminal conspiracy, intimidation and rioting with a deadly weapon. Charges were also framed under the provisions of the Arms Act.
The trial court had noted that after being abducted and brought to the Chhatrasal Stadium, Dhankar was severely assaulted by several accused persons with baseball and hockey sticks.
