Kazi Aref Ahmed
Member of Parliament
Personal details
Born1948
Died16 February 1999
Kalidaspur, Daulatpur Upazila, Kushtia District
Political partyJatiya Samajtantrik Dal

Kazi Aref Ahmed (Bengali: কাজী আরেফ আহমেদ) was the President of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal and one of the organizers of Bangladesh Liberation war.[1]

Early life

Ahmed was born in 1942.[2]

Career

Ahmed was a founding member of the Swadhin Bangla Biplobi Parishad along with ASM Abdur Rob, Serajul Alam Khan, and Shahjahan Siraj in the 1960s.[3][4] They wanted Bangladesh to become an independent country and joined Awami League to work towards that goal.[3][2] He served as the president of Dhaka unit of Chatra league.[2]

On 2 March 1971, he along with other student leaders raised the flag of independent Bangladesh in Dhaka University.[5][3] He fought in the Bangladesh Liberation war and served as a commander.[6]

Ahmed was one of the founders and organizers of Nirmul Committee which demanded a war crimes tribunal for war crimes committed during Bangladesh Liberation war.[7] He served as the President of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal.[8]

Grave of Ahmed in Martyred Intellectuals Graveyard, Mirpur

Death

Ahmed was attending a rally of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal on 16 February 1999 in Kalidaspur Government Primary School, Kalidaspur, Daulatpur Upazila, Kushtia District. The rally was attacked by Purbo Banglar Communist Party, who killed Ahmed and four other politicians of Jatiya Samajtantrik Dal. On 30 August 2004, 10 people were sentenced to death and 12 were sentenced to life-imprisonment.[9] In 2016, three of the convicts were hanged.[9][10] One of those sentenced to death was arrested on 19 August 2021 by Rapid Action Battalion from Rajshahi.[11]

Kazi Aref Parishad works to preserve Ahmed's memory.[12]

References

  1. ^ "Kazi Aref remembered". The Daily Star. 18 February 2013. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  2. ^ a b c Selections from Regional Press. Institute of Regional Studies. 1999. p. 43. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  3. ^ a b c "Bangladesh hoists its first flag". www.dhakatribune.com. 2022-03-02. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  4. ^ "Serajul Alam Khan masterminded independence, claims Abdur Rab". bdnews24.com. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  5. ^ Bangladesh Quarterly. Department of Films & Publications, Government of Bangladesh. 1998. p. 12.
  6. ^ Wahab, A. T. M. Abdul (2004). Mukti Bahini wins victory: Pak military oligarchy divides Pakistan in 1971. Columbia Prokashani. p. 168. ISBN 978-984-713-044-6.
  7. ^ Mukul, Kazi (2004). Pictorial history of Nirmul Committee's movement. Committee for Resisting Killers & Col[l]aborators of Bangladesh Liberation War of '71. p. 7.
  8. ^ "Kazi Aref's anniversary of death today". The Daily Star. 16 February 2012. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  9. ^ a b "Kazi Aref murder: 3 killers hanged". The Daily Star. 8 January 2016. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  10. ^ "Convicted killers of Kazi Aref, 4 others still absconding". The Daily Star. 16 February 2008. Retrieved 25 November 2019.
  11. ^ "Death row convict in Kazi Aref murder case arrested after 22 years". Dhaka Tribune. 2021-08-19. Retrieved 2022-10-17.
  12. ^ "Recognition of 'nucleus' demanded". New Age | The Most Popular Outspoken English Daily in Bangladesh. Retrieved 2022-10-17.


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