Shafiur Rahman

Shafiur Rahman (Bengali: শফিউর রহমান) (24 January 1918 – 22 February 1952) is considered in Bangladesh to be a martyr of the language movement which took place in the former East Pakistan.[1][2]

Shafiur Rahman
Born24 January 1918 (1918-01-24)
Konnagar Village, Serampore, Bengal Presidency, British India (now West Bengal, India)
Died22 February 1952 (1952-02-23) (aged 34)
Dhaka, East Bengal (now Bangladesh)
OccupationClerk
Known forLanguage Martyr of 1952
Grave of Shafiur Rahman in Azimpur Graveyard, Dhaka (Photo of 2007).

Early life

Shafiur Rahman was born in Konnagar, near Serampore, in Bengal Presidency, British Raj. His father's name was Hakim Mahabubur Rahman and his mother's name was Kanayata Khatoon. He graduated from Konnagar High School in 1936 and completed his I. Com at Government Commerce College in Kolkata. After the partition of India he moved to Dhaka, East Bengal, taking a job as a clerk in the accounts section of the Dhaka High Court.[3]

Bengali Language Movement

On 22 February 1952[4] while commuting to his job on his bicycle he entered Nawabpur Road, which was full of protesters against police shootings the previous day at a language movement rally. Police fired at the protests and Rahman was shot in the back; he died after being taken to Dhaka Medical College. He was buried in Azimpur graveyard under police guard.[3][5]

Legacy

Two days after the incident, the first Shaheed Minar was inaugurated by his father, Hakim Mahbubur Rahman, along with the protesting students of Dhaka University.

In 2000 Rahman was awarded the Ekushey Padak by the government of Bangladesh.[3] A bronze sculpture of his head with four other "martyrs" of the language movement is called Moder Gorob and located in Bangla Academy premises.[6]

The grave of Shafiur Rahman, 21 February 1953
Grave of Shafiur Rahman (1918 – 1952) Language martyr at Azimpur graveyard, Dhaka (2021)

References
  1. "Nation pays tributes to language movement martyrs". The Daily Star. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  2. "Homage to language heroes". The Daily Star. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  3. Rafiqul Akbar (2012), "Rahman, Shafiur", in Sirajul Islam and Ahmed A. Jamal (ed.), Banglapedia: National Encyclopedia of Bangladesh (Second ed.), Asiatic Society of Bangladesh
  4. "Tribute paid to language martyrs". Dhaka Tribune. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
  5. Al-Helal, Bashir (1985). Bhasha Andoloner Itihash (in Bengali). Dhaka: Bangla Academy. pp. 482–83. OCLC 416400073.
  6. Mitu, Wahida. "Moder Gorob: An ornament in Ekushey Book Fair". The Daily Star. Retrieved 6 April 2017.
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