Tribute to Shaheed Dr Shamsuzzoha

On 18th February of 2020, the 51st Death Anniversary of Shaheed Dr Mohammad Shamsuzzoha was observed. He was brutally killed by Pakistan Army in the student demonstration organised in front of Rajshahi University Shamsuzzoha was 35 years old when he was killed, Professor of Chemistry and the Proctor of Rajshahi University. He was responsible for maintaining law and order situation on campus.

He was the first Shaheed Intellectual before the liberation war of Bangladesh who was killed by the Pakistani military forces on the 18th February of 1969 during the 11-point student's upsurge against Pakistan's military dictator Ayub Khan's occupation, which ultimately was escalated and became the full-fledged liberation war of Bangladesh.

Dr Zoha was born in West Bengal, India. His parents migrated to East Bengal in 1950. He passed matriculation in 1948 from Bankura Zilla School and passed Intermediate of Science in 1950 from Bankura Christian College. He achieved a B.Sc (honours) degree in Chemistry in 1953 and MSc in 1954 from Dhaka University. In 1964, he obtained his Ph.D. degree from Imperial College of London.

Shamsuzzoha joined Rajshahi University as a Development Officer in 1961 and on that year he also became a lecturer in the Department of Chemistry. The 18 February is observed as the Shaheed Zoha Dibos (Martyr Zoha Day) in Bangladesh.

The deaths of Asadduzzaman by the army on 20 January 1969, and Sergeant Jahurul Haq, an accused in the Agartala Conspiracy Case was killed in Dhaka Cantonment on 15 February 1969 shocked the nation.

The peoples of all strata of the Eastern province of Pakistan (now Bangladesh) joined the student's upsurge to a nation-wide protest. The students of Rajshahi University started the agitation on 17 February a number of students were injured in police action.

On 18 February 1969, thousands of students of Rajshahi University organised a demonstration at the entrance of the university. At the same time the local civil, police and military administrations imposed Section 144 on the Natore-Rajshahi highway at the fringe of Rajshahi University.

The agitated students decided to ignore Section 144 where military troops were deployed. Thousands of students from the Colleges of Rajshahi City, Medical College an Engineering College joined the demonstrations from the other side.

The military and police simultaneously charged batons against the students and lobbed tear-gas shells towards the agitating students. The military fired on the air to intimidate the students and tried to disburse the students from the demonstration and asked the students to remove the human-barricade and return to their campus. But the students were determined to continue their demonstration and violate Section 144.

The Proctor Dr Shamsuzzoha rushed to the spot and tried to get his students back to the campus. He spoke to the military officers and urged upon them to abstain from firing upon the students. But the army defied his request and started firing upon the agitating students.

Dr Zoha was grievously wounded by a bullet. They took him on a military truck and bayonet his body multiple times and he succumbed to his injuries at Rajshahi Medical College Hospital but it was too late.

The martyr hero was buried in front of the administrative building of Rajshahi University. A beautiful and colourful monument was also built on his grave to commemorate his sacrifice. A student dormitory was also built in his name to honour Shaheed Dr Shamsuzzoha's supreme sacrifice.

The death of Shamsuzzoha sparked a fresh anti-Ayub movement, which hastened the collapse of the Ayub regime. The entire nation in both wings of Pakistan expressed their outburst, event the world leaders, the international media joined to mourn the brutal killing of Dr Shamsuzzoha.

As a result, on the 26th of March of 1969, President Ayub Khan had to resign as the head of state of Pakistan and Pakistan Army Chief General Yahya Khan took power and declared himself as the new President and Martial Law Administrator of Pakistan.

Finally, President Ayub Khan's 11 years of Rule (from 1958 to 1969) was ended on March 26, 1969.

On his 51st anniversary, we salute to a great patriot Shaheed Dr Shamsuzzoha. He will continue to live in the hearts and minds of the peoples of independent Bangladesh for the years to come.


The writer is a liberation
war veteran  
Email: [email protected]