Police detain seven over ‘disrupting’ Tofail Ahmed’s funeral procession in Dhaka

Police say a group attempted to block a hearse and raise slogans

Police have detained seven people for allegedly raising slogans and creating disorder around the coffin of Awami stalwart Tofail Ahmed following his first funeral prayer in Dhaka.

A prominent figure of 1960s student politics, a frontline organiser of the 1969 Mass Uprising and a Liberation War organiser, Tofail Ahmed’s funeral drew mourners from across political and social backgrounds on Monday.

The incident occurred after Maghrib prayers outside Taqwa Mosque in Dhanmondi, when the former minister’s body was being taken to Square Hospital after the funeral prayer, police said.

Dhanmondi Zone Additional Deputy Commissioner Zisanul Haque said, “When the body was being transported to Square Hospital by vehicle, around 50–60 people blocked the road and raised slogans. They attempted to create disorder by stopping the vehicle.”

He added that police intervened and detained seven individuals, while others managed to flee the scene.

Authorities said further verification is under way and necessary legal action will be taken based on the investigation.

Witnesses said slogans erupted shortly after the funeral prayer concluded, with the locality around Taqwa Mosque quickly filling with commotion.

Earlier in the day, people from different walks of life, including politicians, attended the first funeral prayer of the senior leader.