Thousands attend BD Islamist leader’s funeral

DHAKA: Tens of thousands of people gathered to mourn the leader of Bangladesh´s largest Islamist group as his funeral was held on Saturday in a rural southeastern town, police said.

Allama Shah Ahmad Shafi, who had led the Hefazat-e-Islam group since it was formed in 2010, died of age-related complications on Friday in the capital Dhaka. He was believed to be over 100 years old.

His death came just a day after an unprecedented revolt involving thousands of students at his highly influential madrasa, or Islamic school, forced him to resign after three decades as its chair.