Thousands of mourners flooded the premises of Chattogram’s Jamiatul Falah National Mosque on Thursday as veteran Awami League leader, freedom fighter and former minister Engineer Mosharraf Hossain was laid to rest amid emotional scenes, political slogans and renewed debate over the treatment of opposition leaders under Bangladesh’s current administration.
The six-time lawmaker and presidium member of the now-banned Bangladesh Awami League died on Wednesday while undergoing treatment at Square Hospital in Dhaka. He was 83. His death triggered an outpouring of grief in Chattogram, where supporters, political colleagues, freedom fighters and ordinary residents gathered in huge numbers to pay their final respects.
As the namaz-e-janaza concluded around 11:15am on Thursday, mourners surrounded the ambulance carrying his coffin and began chanting slogans including “Bir Chattalar Mosharraf Bhai, we have not forgotten you,” “Joy Bangla, Joy Bangabandhu,” and “Sheikh Hasina will return, Bangladesh will smile.”
The slogans echoed through the mosque grounds and nearby roads as thousands accompanied the hearse toward the WASA intersection before it departed for his ancestral village of Dhum in Mirsharai, where he was later buried in the family graveyard after another funeral prayer.
Large numbers of police personnel were deployed across the city surrounding the funeral procession, though no major violence or arrests were reported.
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain was widely regarded as one of Chattogram’s most influential political figures and a key organizer during Bangladesh’s Liberation War in 1971. Born on January 12, 1943, in Mirsharai, he became politically active while studying engineering in Lahore during the Six-Point Movement led by Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He later served as president of the East Pakistan Students’ Council before joining the Awami League.
He was elected to the East Pakistan Provincial Council in 1970 and later became one of the framers of Bangladesh’s 1972 Constitution. Over a political career spanning decades, he was elected to parliament six times from Chattogram-1 constituency and served in multiple ministerial positions, including minister for civil aviation and tourism and minister for housing and public works.
At Thursday’s funeral, even political rivals acknowledged his role in national politics and regional development.
Chattogram City Corporation Mayor and BNP leader Dr. Shahadat Hossain said Engineer Mosharraf Hossain had “a colorful political life” and made “immense contributions to greater Chattogram.”
“He was a decent politician. His contribution to the Liberation War was undeniable,” Shahadat said during remarks delivered before the janaza at Jamiatul Falah Mosque. “We must recognise his contribution to the country’s development above political identity. On behalf of the city corporation, we express our condolences over his death.”
Former Chattogram mayor and Jatiya Party leader Mahmudul Islam Chowdhury also recalled his longstanding association with the veteran politician.
“I have memories of him from the Pakistan era,” he said at the funeral gathering. “He took many initiatives for the development of Chittagong. He used to listen. Mosharraf Hossain will be an unforgettable name in the history of Chittagong.”
North Chattogram Awami League General Secretary Sheikh Ataur Rahman described his death as a major loss for the party and the country.
“His role in the Liberation War of 1971 must always be remembered,” he said. “We have lost him. I did politics with him throughout my life.”
Former freedom fighter commander Md Idris also praised Mosharraf Hossain’s wartime contributions, saying he had supported liberation fighters in Indian training camps and later played a significant role in post-war reconstruction and infrastructure development in Chattogram.
The massive turnout at the funeral came against the backdrop of Bangladesh’s turbulent political climate following the collapse of the Awami League government in August 2024. Since then, Bangladesh has been governed by an army- and Islamist-backed interim administration led by Nobel laureate Muhammad Yunus after the ouster of former Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina.
Human rights groups and Awami League leaders have repeatedly accused the interim administration of carrying out politically motivated arrests and denying adequate medical treatment to detained opposition figures.
According to family members and party leaders, Engineer Mosharraf Hossain’s health deteriorated severely after his arrest on October 27, 2024, from Dhaka’s Bhatara area. He was subsequently sent to Chattogram Central Jail.
Supporters alleged that despite suffering from multiple age-related illnesses, he did not receive proper medical care during his imprisonment. His condition reportedly worsened significantly before authorities transferred him from prison custody to Bangabandhu Medical University Hospital on August 5, 2025. He was released on bail nine days later but never fully recovered.
His death has intensified criticism from Awami League supporters who claim senior leaders have faced systematic persecution since the political transition of 2024.
Rights groups have previously raised concerns about prison conditions, restrictions on political activities and legal cases filed against opposition politicians during the interim administration period. Critics also point to the banning of Awami League political activities and the exclusion of the party from the February 2026 national election.
Despite those restrictions, Thursday’s funeral demonstrated the continued grassroots presence of Awami League supporters in Chattogram, traditionally considered one of the party’s key strongholds.
Leaders and activists from several political and social organizations — including Awami League, Jubo League, Chhatra League, BNP, Communist Party of Bangladesh and student organizations linked to the Liberation War tradition — attended the janaza and paid tribute.
His eldest son, Sabedur Rahman Samu, urged the nation to pray for his father.
“He has passed away after being in the ICU for a long time,” he said. “He was a brave freedom fighter. He worked for the development of the country. Everyone should pray for my father.”
Engineer Mosharraf Hossain is survived by three sons and a daughter. Among them, his son Mahbub Rahman Ruhel previously served as a member of parliament from Chattogram-1 under the Awami League banner.
His death has cast a deep shadow over Bangladesh’s political arena, particularly in Chattogram, where many residents still associate him with large-scale infrastructure projects, road connectivity improvements and decades of organizational politics rooted in the country’s Liberation War legacy.
