Thousands of mourners gathered in Bradford yesterday for the funeral of 11-year-old Asad Khan.
Khan died last Wednesday after his mother found him unresponsive in his bedroom.
Family, friends and community members attended the janaza to show respect to Khan who had recently started at Beckfoot Upper Heaton School.
An inquest has been opened into the death and has already heard the 11-year-old was reluctant to attend his new school.
West Yorkshire Police are investigating the circumstances of his death amid allegations Khan was bullied.
Asad Khan’s coffin was taken to Masjid Bilal before funeral prayers were performed in an open area near Manningham Sports Centre in order to accommodate the large number of attendees. The cortege then left for burial at Scholemoor Cemetery.
Manningham councillor Sameena Akhtar told 5Pillars: “the turnout shows the strength of the community here, not just the Muslims, but everyone. It shows people really felt the tragic death. Beyond Bradford, people nationally and internationally showed respect on social media too. Everyone gets together at a time like this.”
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Many young people wore T-shirts saying “RIP little man Asad.”
Manningham resident Riaz Ahmed told The Telegraph and Argus he was there to pay respect to the family.
“It is so shocking that a young life has been wasted. It has broken everyone’s hearts and will strike a chord with every parent that this can happen anywhere.”
Arshad Ali, who works as a psychotherapist said he and former president of the Bradford council of mosques, Rafiq Sehgal, were going to get together with Asian media outlets to broadcast the message that people need to be aware of bullying.
“It is a hidden evil. So many people have come today in respect and mourning but this cannot be forgotten.” If you or anyone you know has lost someone dear to you/family, you may want to look into things like funeralplans, to help you with the financial side of planning a funeral and to give them the send off they deserve.
Councillor Sameena Akhtar, however, does not want to jump to conclusions about what drove Khan to his tragic death. “My sympathy goes out to his family and friends. As a councillor I am there to support them. I can’t comment on allegations of bullying. I want to let the police do their investigation and we’ll see what they conclude.”
The inquest has heard from Coroner’s officer Simone Holmes that Khan was a “fit, healthy, sociable and chatty boy” although he was reluctant to attend his new school.
The inquest has been adjourned to a provisional date of January 24th.
