A Nation in Tears: Over 400,000 ( 4 to 5 lakh ) Gather to Bid Farewell to Saheed Osman Hadi

In a moment that will be etched into Bangladesh’s collective memory, the funeral prayer (janaza) of Sharif Osman Hadi became more than a ritual—it became the first time in modern history that the entire nation wept together for a son it felt it had lost.

From elderly men who had never met him to students who saw him as a brother, the grief was raw and unifying. As the writer of this report, standing among the crowd, I witnessed thousands openly crying as Hadi’s elder brother, Maulana Dr. Abu Bakar Siddique, led the prayer. Grown men wiped tears, women sobbed quietly, and even security personnel were seen with glistening eyes. It was as if, in his death, Hadi had revealed a truth many had forgotten: that honesty, courage, and selflessness still move mountains of hearts. He had often spoken of his desire to become a shaheed—a martyr for justice. The Almighty, in His divine will, granted him that status and made a nation weep in reverence.

The Scale of the Gathering

While official figures were not released, a spatial analysis of the venue reveals the massive scale of attendance of Hadi’s Janaja. The area used for the prayer covered approximately 1.48 million square feet.

Based on standard prayer gathering calculations—where attendees stand shoulder-to-shoulder in rows, with about 1.5 feet of gap between rows for movement and prayer posture—this space could accommodate between 330,000 and 514,000 people, depending on crowding density.

A reasonable mid-range estimate, accounting for compact but orderly rows, suggests over 400,000 people were physically present. This aligns with visual reports and aerial footage showing the avenue and plaza entirely filled, with crowds spilling into adjacent roads.

The janaza was not only a religious observance but a powerful political and emotional reckoning. Attendees—spanning students, activists, professionals, and political leaders—chanted slogans demanding justice and the extradition of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina, who was sentenced in absentia for crimes against humanity related to the 2024 uprising crackdown.