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Thousands pay tearful homage to writer Azad

DU Correspondent
The wreath-covered coffin of writer Humayun Azad was bome to a crowd of mourners yesterday, two weeks after he was found dead in Germany to the disbelief of his family.
Professor Azad, who survived a knife attack in February before he died from what an autopsy said was heartattack in Munich on August 12, was laid to rest in his home village in Srinagarin Munshiganj.
Thousands of mourners, including his family, kin, colleagues, teachers and students, well-wishers and admirers paused in tearful silence to pay him homage on Dhaka University (DU) campus.
A Biman flight flew the body to the tears of the distraught family
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members who were waiting at Zia International Airport.
The arrival of the body coincided with the birthday of Azad's daughter Smita Azad that went uncelebrated this year, as sadness gripped their residence on the DU campus that was teeming with fans of the popular author of 60 books.
"Every year Abbu (father) wished me on my birthday. But this year is different. He told me he would send birthday greetings cards and gifts from Germany. I did not receive the cards but him -- dead, " Smita told newspersons at the airport.
The body was carried to Azad's Fuller Road home amid tight security, as an anonymous caller threatened to bomb the family and the body on the Airport Road. No unwarranted incidents were reported until 7:30 last night.
"We did not want protection for the body. We wanted him to be alive. He also wanted to live," cried Azad's brother Monzur Kabir Matin.
Seeing their father for the last time, Azad's son Anannya Azad and daughters Mouli Azad and Smita burst into tears. "He is not my father. Abbu was not like him," a shocked Anannya said.
Latifa Kohinoor, wife of Azad, received the body that reached the airport on Bangladesh Biman flight No-BG058 from Frankfurt at 1:14pm yesterday.
German Charge d'Affaires Hermann Nicolai and Dhaka University Teachers' Association President Professor AAMS Arefin Siddique were present there.
After the body was placed at the foot of Aparajeyo Bangla on the DU campus, DU Vice-Chancellor Professor SMA Faiz laid a wreath on the coffin.
Matin called on people representing a broad spectrum of society to pray for the salvation of the departed soul of Azad and expressed deep gratitude to all who paid homage.
The namaz-e-janaza of Azad was
held at the DU Central Mosque and Jagadish Chandra Bose Institute in Srinagar in the presence of thousands of people.
The janaza over, the body was taken to his home village of West Rarikhal for burial, a kilometre from the institute. Azad's qulkhwani will be held in the village on Monday.
Azad went to Munich on August 9 on a fellowship of PEN (International Association of Poets, Playwrights, Essayists, Editors and Novelists) to do a research on German romantic poet Heinrich Heine. A postmortem says Azad died of heart attack at his apartment in Munich on August 12 between 4:00am to 6:00am German time.
Azad survived a brutal attack on the night of February 27 near Bangla Academy when he was going back home from the Ekushey Book Fair, an annual event in memory of Language Movement martyrs.
His family at the time blamed the attack on hardline Islamists believed to be angered by his latest book "Pak Sar Zamin Saad Baad" which was set in the 1971 War of Independence from Pakistan. It triggered controversy in and outside political and academic circles for his bitter criticism about fanaticism.
He recovered from his critical injuries after long treatment at the Combined Military Hospital in Dhaka and Bumrungrad Hospital in Bangkok.
A staunch feminist and fearless critic of human rights violations, Azad received the Bangla Academy Award in 1996.
The Awami League, Dhaka University Teachers Association, Communist Party of Bangladesh, 11-Party, Bangladesh Samajtantrik Dal, Workers Party, Supreme Court Bar Association, Bangladesh Chhatra Federation, Khetmajur Samity, Bangabandhu Lekhak Parishad, Sangeet Academy and Samajtantrik Chhatra Front are among a host of organisations that paid homage.