The funeral prayer for Ishayat Shahriar Opratim, the 13-year-old son of a Comilla University associate professor, was held on Sunday morning on the grounds of the institution’s central mosque.

Teachers, officials and students from several departments gathered at 10 am for the prayer for Opratim, whose mother, Dr Nahida Begum, is an associate professor of Bangla at the university.

Addressing the congregation before the prayer began, the boy’s father spoke emotionally. “Your son grew up in your affection. As his father, I ask forgiveness from everyone. If he made any mistake, forgive my son and pray for him so that Allah may grant forgiveness to his soul,” he said.

Those present prayed for the forgiveness of Opratim’s soul and expressed condolences to his grieving family.

The teenager had gone missing at around 3 pm on Friday after leaving home with his mother’s mobile phone to take photographs. Family members, university teachers and students and police searched various places before his body was discovered at midday on Saturday, approximately 21 hours after his disappearance.

The body was taken to Cumilla Sadar Hospital for a post-mortem examination before being returned to the family home at around 8:30 pm on Saturday.