Syed Muhammad Afzal Explained

Honorific Prefix:Khan Sahib Moulvi
Syed Muhammad Afzal
Native Name:সৈয়দ মুহম্মদ আফজাল
Office:East Bengal Minister of Agriculture
Term Start:16 August 1947
Term End:14 September 1948
Office1:Chairman of the Pirojpur Municipality
Term Start1:1944
Term End1:1950
Predecessor1:Narayan Rai Chaudhury
Successor1:Aftab Uddin Ahmad
Office2:Member of the Bengal Legislative Assembly
Term Start2:1937
Term End2:1947
Constituency2:Firozpur North
Office3:Member of the Bengal Legislative Council
Term Start3:1926
Term End3:1930
Constituency3:Bakerganj West
Birth Place:Backergunge District, Bengal Presidency
Party:Krishak Sramik Party
Council Muslim League

Khan Sahib Syed Muhammad Afzal (Bengali: সৈয়দ মুহম্মদ আফজাল) was a Bengali politician. He served as a member of both the Bengal Legislative Council and the Bengal Legislative Assembly.[1] Afzal was noted an early supporter of the Bengali language movement.[2] [3]

Early life

Afzal was born into a Bengali Muslim family of Syeds from the village of Shayestabad in the Backergunge District of the Bengal Presidency.

Career

Afzal was a member of the District Khilafat Committee which supported the pro-Ottoman Khilafat Movement.[4] He was associated with the Krishak Praja Party established by A. K. Fazlul Huq. In 1937, Huq contested in several constituencies during the Bengal legislative elections and became the first ever Prime Minister of Bengal. Having successfully defeated the All-India Muslim League's candidate former Deputy Magistrate Lihaz Uddin of Kaukhali in the Firozpur North constituency, Huq gave up this seat to Afzal.[5] The constituency covered Firozpur Sadar, Kaukhali, Swarupkathi, Banaripara and Nazirpur. Afzal was a member of the first Governing Board of the Fazlul Haq College in Chakhar founded by A. K. Fazlul Huq in 1940. Despite the party struggling to gain support at the 1946 elections as a result of the growing popularity of the Muslim League's Pakistan Movement, Afzal preserved his Firozpur North seat against Abdus Subhan Mia of the Muslim League.[6]

He served as the chairman of the Pirojpur Municipality from 1944 to 1950. After partition, Afzal joined the Muslim League and became the Minister of Agriculture under Khawaja Nazimuddin on 16 August 1947.[7] On 12 November 1947, he attended a Tamaddun Majlish literary conference at the Fazlul Huq Muslim Hall where he expressed his support for the Bengali language movement alongside Health Minister Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury and Civil Supplies Minister Nurul Amin.[8] [9] [10] Clashes began between the pro-Urdu and pro-Bengali groups on 12 December 1947. A group of protestors harassed several ministers including Afzal and Education Minister Abdul Hamid,[11] with Afzal being dragged from one place to another on the balcony within the secretariat area. Abdul Hamid came out and stated that he would resign if Bengali is not given a national status. Afzal refused police intervention to safeguard himself from the protestors, and promised the protestors that he is a supporter of the movement, urging them to calm down.[12] [13] He became a member of the East Bengal Language Committee and signed a twelve-member memorandum requesting the government to recognise and promote an official standardised Bengali language based on Eastern Bengali.[14] Among those that signed the letter are Mohammad Akram Khan, Abdullah al-Baqi, Muhammad Shahidullah, Habibullah Bahar Chowdhury, Mizanur Rahman (Deputy Minister of Education), Syed Abul Hasnat Muhammad Ismail (Deputy Inspector-General of Police), Ajit Kumar Guha, AQM Adamuddin (Professor, Naogaon Islamic Intermediate College), Abul Kalam Shamsuddin, Shamsunnahar Mahmud and Shaikh Sharafuddin (Professor, Islamic Intermediate College).[15] [16] On 28 June 1948, Afzal laid the foundation of the main building of the Sri Sundari High School in Lalpur, Natore.[17]

Afzal later joined the Council Muslim League, and became the president of its Bengal branch.[18] He was arrested after the independence of Bangladesh for allegedly supporting the Pakistan Army.[6] [19]

Notes and References

  1. Book: বরিশাল বিভাগ পরিচিতি. Greater Bakerganj-Patuakhali Society. Dhaka. 36–37. 1993. Ahmed, Siraj Uddin.
  2. Book: 45. bn. বাংলা ভাষা ও ঐতিহাসিক ভাষা আন্দোলন. Bengali language and the historical language movement. Bangla Sahitya Parishad. Matiur Rahman, Muhammad. 1992.
  3. Book: 70–80. পূর্ববাংলার ভাষা আন্দোলন ও তৎকালীন রাজনীতি. East Bengal language movement and erstwhile politics. Umar, Badruddin. 1970. Mawla Brothers. bn.
  4. Khilafat Movement. Ahmed, Sufia.
  5. Book: https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.200243/page/n17/mode/2up. Bengal Legislative Assembly Proceedings (1939). 54. Alphabetical list of members. Government of Bengal. 1939 . Alipore.
  6. Book: Ahmed, Siraj Uddin. বরিশাল বিভাগের ইতিহাস. 1. Bhaskar Prakashani. Dhaka. 2010. bn.
  7. News: রাষ্ট্রভাষা আন্দোলনের সূচনা ও ১১ মার্চ ১৯৪৮. The beginning of the national language movement and 11 March 1948. bn. Quddus, Ghulam. Janakantha. 13 March 2017.
  8. News: তমদ্দুন মজলিসের মাসব্যাপী গণসংযোগ. 5 February 2022. bn. Naya Diganta.
  9. Web site: ভাষা আন্দোলনের সিঁড়ি বেয়ে অভ্যুদয় ঘটে স্বাধীন বাংলাদেশের. Shiksha Totthow. 26 March 2022. bn. Khan, Habibur Rahman. Independent Bangladesh emerged on the stairs of the language movement.
  10. News: রাষ্ট্রভাষা আন্দোলনের গোড়ার ইতিহাস. bn. Liton, Shamsul Huda. Early history of the national language movement. The Daily Sangram. 25 February 2015.
  11. Book: 39. ভাষা আন্দোলনের ইতিহাস, কয়েকটি দলিল. 1983. Bangla Academy.
  12. News: Prothom Alo. ভাষা আন্দোলনের সূচনালগ্ন. bn. 20 February 2014. Haq, Muhammad Lutful. Beginning of language movement.
  13. News: ঢাকায় বাংলা ও উর্দু ভাষা সমর্থকদের মধ্যে সংঘর্ষ. The Daily Ittefaq. bn. Clash between supporters of Bengali and Urdu language in Dhaka. 6 February 2019. Chanda, Dipangkar.
  14. Book: বাংলা ভাষার বিরুদ্ধে ষড়যন্ত্র ও বাঙালীর সংগ্রাম. Conspiracy against Bengali language and struggle of Bengalis. 79. bn. Chaudhury, Nigar. Anindya Prakashan. 1991.
  15. News: পূর্ববাংলা ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন ও বাস্তবতা. Rising BD. bn. 22 February 2017. East Bengal Language Committee's report and reality. Ghosh, Bishwajit.
  16. News: উনপঞ্চাশের ভাষা কমিটির প্রতিবেদন : একটি সমীক্ষা. Ghosh, Bishwajit. Report of the Language Committee of '49: A Survey. bn. Kali O Kalam. 26 February 2018.
  17. News: bn. শুভ জন্মদিন শ্রী সুন্দরী উচ্চ বিদ্যালয়. Daily Prapti Prosongo. Mukti, Imam Hasan. Happy birthday Sri Sundari High School. Lalpur, Natore. 6 May 2022.
  18. News: ছয় দফা : অভীষ্ট গন্তব্যের লক্ষ্যভেদী অভিযাত্রা. Daily Jagaran. bn. Prince, Shahriyar Mahmud. Six Point: Targeted journey to desired destination. 7 June 2022.
  19. News: bn. ৭১'র দুঃসহ স্মৃতির বরিশাল. Tuhin, S. L. T.. Barisal of sad memories of 71. News G24. 30 December 2021.