COVID-19: Bangla police officer removed over cleric's funeral gathering amid lockdown

Authorities in Bangladesh have removed a police officer for failing to prevent tens of thousands of people from defying a nationwide lockdown imposed in response to the coronavirus crisis and attending the funeral of a top Islamic cleric.

Shahadat Hossain Titu, the Officer-in-Charge of Sarail Police Station in Brahmanbaria, has been removed for allowing the people to gather for the funeral prayers, the police headquarters said in a statement on Saturday.

Titu's failure to take proper steps to prevent the gathering is the reason behind the decision to remove him, bdnews24.com reported.

Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Mawlana Jubayer Ahmed Ansari at a local madrasa on Saturday, defying a nationwide lockdown in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak that has killed 84 people and infected 2,144.

Ansari, 55, who was the nayeb-e-ameer (deputy) of Bangladesh Khelafat Majlish, died at Bertala village in Sarail upazila on Friday night.

His funeral took place just days after ..