Journalist Kazi Ashraf was laid to rest in Lohagara on Monday as relatives, local residents and fellow journalists bid farewell to him with grief and respect following his death in a road accident.
His funeral prayer was held at around 8am on Monday (September 14) on the grounds of Al-Markazul Mosque in Lohagara Municipality. He was later buried at Lakshmipasha Cemetery.
Relatives, local residents, journalists and people from various professions attended the funeral.
Kazi Ashraf was the son of retired government official Kazi Shamsur Rahman of Gopinathpur village in Lohagara Municipality, Narail. He worked as the Narail district correspondent for Asian Television and also served as the Lohagara correspondent for the newspapers Dainik Karatoa and Dainik Bhorer Darpan.
According to family members, Kazi Ashraf and Mahmudul Hasan Anik left Lohagara for Dhaka on a motorcycle on Sunday morning for personal work. When they reached the Mansurabad area of Bhanga Upazila in Faridpur on the Khulna-Dhaka Highway, their motorcycle collided with a bus operated by Dola Paribahan.
Kazi Ashraf sustained serious injuries in the crash, while Anik suffered minor injuries. Local residents rescued them and took them to Bhanga Upazila Health Complex.
As Ashraf's condition was critical, he was later transferred to Dhaka Medical College Hospital. He died while undergoing treatment there at around noon on Sunday.
His body was taken by road to his family home in Gopinathpur at around 1:30am early Monday. The arrival of his body left the area filled with grief as relatives, residents and colleagues mourned his death.
Fellow journalists said Kazi Ashraf had been involved in journalism for a long time. Beyond being a journalist, he was a familiar face in Narail's media community and a close colleague and friend to many in the profession.
Meanwhile, a prayer gathering will be organised by Lohagara Press Club on Wednesday to pray for the eternal peace of the late journalist, said Shimul Hasan, member secretary of the press club.
