Syed Nazrul Islam | |
|---|---|
সৈয়দ নজরুল ইসলাম | |
 | |
| Minister of Industries | |
| In office 13 January 1972 – 26 January 1975 | |
| Prime Minister | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Abul Hasnat Muhammad Qamaruzzaman |
| 1stVice President of Bangladesh | |
| In office 17 April 1971 – 12 January 1972 | |
| Prime Minister | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| In office 25 January 1975 – 15 August 1975 | |
| President | Sheikh Mujibur Rahman |
| Prime Minister | Muhammad Mansur Ali |
| Succeeded by | Mohammad Mohammadullah |
| Acting President ofProvisional Government of Bangladesh | |
| In office 17 April 1971 – 10 January 1972 | |
| Prime Minister | Tajuddin Ahmad |
| Preceded by | Position established |
| Succeeded by | Position abolished |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 18 February 1925 |
| Died | 3 November 1975(1975-11-03) (aged 50) Dacca Central Jail,Dhaka, Bangladesh |
| Party | Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League(1975) |
| Other political affiliations | All-India Muslim League(Before 1949) Awami League(1949–1975) |
| Children | 6 IncludingShafayet,Zakia &Ashraful |
| Relatives | Sayed Farooq-ur-Rahman (nephew) |
| Alma mater | University of Dhaka |
| Awards |  Independence Award |
Syed Nazrul Islam[a] (1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and a senior leader of theAwami League. During theBangladesh War of Independence, he was declared as theActing President ofBangladesh by theProvisional Government.[1]
Syed Nazrul Islam was born in 1925, into aBengali Muslim family ofSyeds in the village of Bir Dampara, Jashodal Union inKishoreganj (then Mymensingh District) of theBengal Presidency.[2] He obtained degrees in history and law from theUniversity of Dhaka and was an active student political leader in theMuslim League. Nazrul Islam captained his college's cricket and hockey teams and participated in thePakistan movement. He entered the civil service ofPakistan in 1949 but resigned in 1951 to work as a professor of history at theAnanda Mohan College inMymensingh, where he also practised law.[3]
Nazrul Islam's political career began when he joined theAwami Muslim League and participated in theLanguage Movement in 1952, for which he was arrested by police. He would rise to various provincial and central party leadership positions, becoming a close confidante of the party's leader Sheikh Mujib. He was jailed during the Six Point Demand movement.[4] He was elected to theNational Assembly of Pakistan in 1970, where he served briefly as deputy leader of the majority. Following the arrest of Mujib on 25 March 1971 by Pakistani forces, Syed escaped toMeherpur, Khulna with other party leaders and proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh.[5] Syed stepped in as the acting President, withTajuddin Ahmed as the government's prime minister. Syed played a key role in leading the nationalist cause, co-ordinating theBDF guerrilla force and winning support fromIndia and other nations.[3]
After the independence of Bangladesh, Syed was appointed minister of industries, the deputy leader in parliament and a member of the constitution committee. When Mujib banned other political parties and assumed sweeping powers as president in 1975, Syed was appointed vice-chairman of theBAKSAL.[3]
Nazrul Islam married Syeda Nafisa Islam[citation needed] with whom he had six children. His four sons wereSayed Ashraful Islam, Syed Manzurul Islam Manju, Syed Shariful Islam andSyed Shafayetul Islam.[6] His older daughter was MPSyeda Zakia Noor Lipi.[7]
Following theassassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman on 15 August 1975, Syed went into hiding with other Mujib loyalists such asTajuddin Ahmad,A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman andMuhammad Mansur Ali, but was ultimately arrested by the regime of the new presidentKhondaker Mostaq Ahmad. The four leaders were imprisoned in theDhaka Central Jail and assassinated on 3 November under controversial and mysterious circumstances known as theJail Killing. This day is commemorated every year in Bangladesh asJail Killing Day.[8] Captain (relieved)Kismat Hashem was sentenced in absentia to life in prison for the killings. He died due to cardiac arrest in Canada.[9]
Government-runShahid Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College in Kishoreganj is named in his memory.[10]Sayed Ashraful Islam is son of Sayed Nazrul Islam.[11]
Media related toSyed Nazrul Islam at Wikimedia Commons| Political offices | ||
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| Preceded by | President of Bangladesh Acting 1971–1972 | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by none | Vice President of Bangladesh 1971–1972 | Succeeded by |
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