After Dhaka funeral, Tofail Ahmed’s body taken to mortuary before final journey to Bhola

After a final night in Dhaka, his coffin will return to the island district where his political journey began and where he will be buried beside his mother

The body of veteran Awami League leader Tofail Ahmed has been taken to the mortuary at Square Hospital following funeral prayers in Dhaka’s Dhanmondi.

After Monday evening’s funeral prayers at Taqwa Mosque, the Liberation War organiser’s body was taken to the hospital, where it will remain overnight.

His coffin will be flown to his birthplace, Bhola, on Tuesday.

Tofail will be buried beside his mother’s grave in Koralia village of South Gangapur in Bhola.

Before the burial, another funeral prayer will be held at Bhola Government High School grounds.

Politicians and people from various walks of life attended the funeral prayer of Tofail in Dhanmondi.

Among them were former minister and Awami League leader Latif Siddiqui, Krishak Sramik Janata League Chairman Kader Siddiqui, former minister Saber Hossain Chowdhury, Jatiya Party Secretary General Shameem Haider Patwary and former CPB general secretary Ruhin Hossain Prince.

Moments after the prayer ended, chants of “Joy Bangla” and “Joy Bangabandhu” rang out around the hearse, filling the surrounding area. Police moved in and detained several people.

Paying tribute, Shameem said: “He was a legendary politician. From 1969 to the Liberation War, his contribution was immense. He was deeply involved in the twists, turns, rises and falls of Bangladesh’s politics.

“He was a courageous leader and an outstanding parliamentarian.”

A key witness to many of Bangladesh’s political turning points, Tofail was a towering figure in student politics in the 1960s and a leader of the 1969 Mass Uprising.

He died at Square Hospital on Monday afternoon at the age of 83 after battling age-related complications.

He had been undergoing treatment there for eight months and eight days.