Renowned Figures Rest Beside National Poet’s Grave

On the path from Shahbagh, the entrance of Dhaka University, towards the TSC, to the right of the Faculty of Fine Arts, stands the aesthetically remarkable Central Mosque of Dhaka University, commonly known as ‘Masjidul Jamia DU’. Adjacent to its right lies the university’s Central Library, while to its left rests the tomb of the national poet, Kazi Nazrul Islam.

Following Bangladesh’s independence, on 24 May 1972, the poet Nazrul, along with his family, was brought to Bangladesh from India with the permission of the Indian government by the then Bangladesh Awami League administration. In 1976, he was granted Bangladeshi citizenship. That same year, his health began to deteriorate, and he spent his final days at Dhaka’s PG Hospital. On 29 August 1976, he passed away. Prior to his death, he had expressed in his immortal song the wish, ‘Bury me beside the mosque, my brother.’ In accordance with his wishes, his final resting place was established beside Dhaka University’s Central Mosque.

Over the following 49 years, only a handful of distinguished Bangladeshis have had the privilege to be interred beside the revered poet. Among these few luminaries are: National Professor and artist Zainul Abedin (29 December 1914–28 May 1976); Professor Muzaffar Ahmed Chowdhury (23 November 1922–17 January 1978), Vice-Chancellor of Dhaka University and first President of the Dhaka University Central Student Union; eminent physicist and Vice-Chancellor Abdul Matin Chowdhury (1 May 1921–24 June 1981); renowned painter and designer of the current national flag, Kamrul Hasan (2 December 1921–2 February 1988); and the celebrated former Vice-Chancellor and scientist M. Osman Ghani (1 March 1912–21 July 1989).

Now, after decades without a new addition, the family of Sharif Osman Hadi, in coordination with the Dhaka University authorities and the student group Islami Chhatra Shibir, has decided that Osman Hadi (30 June 1993–18 December 2025), the Inquilab Stage spokesperson and July revolution martyr, will be laid to rest beside the tomb of Kazi Nazrul Islam. Hadi was a young activist who became a national figure within a short span, known for his bold speeches on television talk shows and YouTube, advocating justice and equality. His burial alongside such renowned figures marks a rare and historic moment in Dhaka University’s history.

Sharif Osman Hadi had been grievously shot in broad daylight on 12 December in Old Paltan, Dhaka, and was initially treated in the city before being airlifted to Singapore for further medical care. Throughout his life-and-death struggle, the entire nation prayed for his recovery, an outpouring of support rarely witnessed outside of figures such as Begum Khaleda Zia.

In a period of unrest following the July revolution, amid widespread fear and division, Hadi emerged as a symbol of hope and resistance. He fearlessly spoke truth to power, unwavering before threats, convinced that silence in the face of injustice was far worse than risk. From his humble madrasa upbringing to becoming a national voice of protest, Hadi remained committed to the dream of a just Bangladesh. His passing now calls for unity among all social, political, and cultural forces to realise the fair and equitable society he envisioned. Rest in peace, Hadi.

Manzur Rashid Bidyut
Social Analyst, Researcher, and Writer