February 19, 2008	Tuesday	Safar 11, 1429

DHAKA: Thousands of mourners clashed with police here on Monday as they tried to pay their respects to a top film star who died over the weekend after a career of mocking corrupt officials.

Traffic in the heart of Dhaka came to a halt as fans swarmed the streets around a studio ahead of the burial of S.M. Aslam, better known by his nickname Manna, who died of a massive heart attack on Sunday at the age of 44.

Police resorted to firing tear gas and making baton charges when distraught fans tried to force their way into the studio, where the film fraternity and celebrities were holding a funeral, police and witnesses said.

Manna won the hearts of millions of Bangladeshis by often playing the role of the angry young man fighting a corrupt system, in one of the world’s most graft-riddled societies.

He started his career in 1985 and had made around 200 movies.

“He was the only one who knew our pains,” said Jamal Ahmed, a 23-year-old garment worker who skipped work for the day to go to the funeral.—AFP