Dhaka, Dec. 22 -- A nation does not often pause in unison. But on Saturday afternoon, Bangladesh did.As the body of Sharif Osman Bin Hadi was lowered into the ground beside the grave of National Poet Kazi Nazrul Islam, grief moved like a quiet tide-heavy, collective and unresolved. Thousands stood shoulder to shoulder at his janaza. Millions more mourned elsewhere, bound by the same ache. Hadi was 32.

He was laid to rest at 3:50pm, following a funeral prayer held earlier at the South Plaza of the Jatiya Sangsad Bhaban. The janaza was led by his elder brother, Abu Bakar Siddique. From early morning, students, activists and ordinary citizens streamed into the area through security archways, many clutching nothing but slogans, tears and sil...