Syed Nazrul Islam ( bn, সৈয়দ নজরুল ইসলাম, Soiyod Nozrul Islam; 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and a senior leader of the

Awami League In Urdu language, Awami is the adjectival form for '' Awam'', the Urdu language word for common people. The adjective appears in the following proper names: *Awami Colony, a neighbourhood of Landhi Town in Karachi, Sindh, Pakistan *Awami Front, wa ...

. During the

Bangladesh Liberation War The Bangladesh Liberation War ( bn, মুক্তিযুদ্ধ, , also known as the Bangladesh War of Independence, or simply the Liberation War in Bangladesh) was a revolution and armed conflict sparked by the rise of the Bengali ...

, he was declared as the Vice President of Bangladesh by the

Provisional Government A provisional government, also called an interim government, an emergency government, or a transitional government, is an emergency governmental authority set up to manage a political transition generally in the cases of a newly formed state or ...

. He served as the

Acting President An acting president is a person who temporarily fills the role of a country's president when the incumbent president is unavailable (such as by illness or a vacation) or when the post is vacant (such as for death, injury, resignation, dismissal ...

in the absence of

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman Sheikh Mujibur Rahman ( bn, শেখ মুজিবুর রহমান; 17 March 1920 – 15 August 1975), often shortened as Sheikh Mujib or Mujib and widely known as Bangabandhu (meaning ''Friend of Bengal''), was a Bengali politi ...

Early life

Syed Nazrul Islam was born in 1925, into a

Bengali Muslim Bengali Muslims ( bn, বাঙালি মুসলমান; ) are adherents of Islam who ethnically, linguistically and genealogically identify as Bengalis. Comprising about two-thirds of the global Bengali population, they are the sec ...

family of Syeds in the village of Bir Dampara, Jashodal Union in

Kishoreganj Kishoreganj is a city and the headquarters of Kishoreganj District in the division of Dhaka, Bangladesh. See also * ABM Zahidul Haq ABM Zahidul Haq ( bn, এবিএম জাহিদুল হক; died 13 September 2008) was a Bangl ...

(then Mymensingh District) of the

Bengal Presidency The Bengal Presidency, officially the Presidency of Fort William and later Bengal Province, was a subdivision of the British Empire in India. At the height of its territorial jurisdiction, it covered large parts of what is now South Asia an ...

. He obtained degrees in history and law from the

University of Dhaka The University of Dhaka (also known as Dhaka University, or DU) is a public research university located in Dhaka, Bangladesh. It is the oldest university in Bangladesh. The university opened its doors to students on July 1st 1921. Currently i ...

and was an active student political leader in the

Muslim League Muslim League may refer to: Political parties Subcontinent ; British India *All-India Muslim League, Mohammed Ali Jinah, led the demand for the partition of India resulting in the creation of Pakistan. **Punjab Muslim League, a branch of the organ ...

. Syed captained his college's cricket and hockey teams and participated in the

Pakistan movement The Pakistan Movement ( ur, , translit=Teḥrīk-e-Pākistān) was a political movement in the first half of the 20th century that aimed for the creation of Pakistan from the Muslim-majority areas of British India. It was connected to the per ...

. He entered the civil service of

Pakistan Pakistan ( ur, ), officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan ( ur, , label=none), is a country in South Asia. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by population, fifth-most populous country, with a population of almost 24 ...

in 1949 but resigned in 1951 to work as a professor of history at the Anandmohan College in

Mymensingh Mymensingh ( bn, ময়মনসিংহ) is the capital of Mymensingh Division, Bangladesh. Located on the bank of Brahmaputra River, about north of the national capital Dhaka, it is a major financial center and educational hub of north- ...

, where he also practised law.

Political career

Syed Nazrul's political career began when he joined the Awami Muslim League and participated in the Language Movement in 1952, for which he was arrested by Pakistani 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. He was elected to the

National Assembly of Pakistan The National Assembly ( ur, , translit=Aiwān-e-Zairīñ, , or ur, قومی اسمبلی, romanized: ''Qaumi Assembly'') is the lower legislative house of the bicameral Parliament of Pakistan, which also comprises the Senate of Pakistan (upp ...

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 to Mujibnagar with other party leaders and proclaimed the independence of Bangladesh. Mujib was elected president of Bangladesh but Syed would serve as acting president, with Tajuddin Ahmed as prime minister. Syed played a key role in leading the nationalist cause, co-ordinating the

Mukti Bahini The Mukti Bahini ( bn, মুক্তিবাহিনী, translates as 'freedom fighters', or liberation army), also known as the Bangladesh Forces, was the guerrilla resistance movement consisting of the Bangladeshi military, paramilitary ...

guerrilla force and winning support from

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, seventh-largest country by area, the List of countries and dependencies by population, second-most populous ...

and other nations. 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 the

BAKSAL Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League (BaKSAL) ( bn, বাংলাদেশ কৃষক শ্রমিক আওয়ামী লীগ "Bangladesh Worker-Peasant's People's League"; বাকশাল) was a political front comprising B ...

, the renamed Awami League.

Personal life

Islam married Syeda Nafisa Islam and had 4 sons and 2 daughters. His four sons were

Sayed Ashraful Islam Sayed Ashraful Islam ( – 3 January 2019) was a Bangladesh Awami League politician. He was the General Secretary of the Bangladesh Awami League party. He served as a member of parliament and minister of public administration of the Government ...

, Syed Manzurul Islam Manju, Syed Shariful Islam and

Syed Shafayetul Islam Syed Shafayetul Islam ( bn, সৈয়দ শাফায়েতুল ইসলাম) is a retired major general of the Bangladesh Army and a politician. He served as Military Secretary to Prime Minister of Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina, from 19 ...

, and his two daughters were Syeda Zakia Noor Lipi ad Syeda Rafia Noor.

Death

Following the

assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman The first president of Bangladesh, Sheikh Mujibur Rahman, and most of his family were killed during the early hours of 15 August 1975 by a group of young Bangladesh Army personnel who invaded his Dhanmondi 32 residence as part of a coup d ...

on 15 August 1975 Syed fled underground with other Mujib loyalists such as

Tajuddin Ahmad Tajuddin Ahmad ( bn, তাজউদ্দীন আহমদ; ; 23 July 1925 – 3 November 1975) was a Bangladeshi politician and statesman. He led the Provisional Government of Bangladesh as its prime minister during the Bangladesh Liberatio ...

, A. H. M. Qamaruzzaman and Muhammad Mansur Ali, but was ultimately arrested by the regime of the new president

Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad Khondaker Mostaq Ahmad (also spelled Khandakar Mushtaq Ahmed; – 5 March 1996) was a Bangladeshi politician. He was the President of Bangladesh from 15 August to 6 November 1975, after the assassination of Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. He was part ...

. The four leaders were imprisoned in the Dhaka Central Jail and assassinated on 3 November under controversial and mysterious circumstances known as the

Jail Killing Jail Killing refers to the murder of four Awami League leaders in prison by the planners of army officers who launched the 15 August 1975 Bangladesh coup d'état. The four were former President Syed Nazrul Islam, former prime ministers Tajuddin Ahm ...

. This day is commemorated every year in Bangladesh Jail Killing Day. Captain (relieved) Kismat Hashem was sentenced to life in prison for the killings. He died due to cardiac arrest in Canada.

Legacy

Government-run Shahid Syed Nazrul Islam Medical College in Kishoreganj is named in his memory.

is son of Sayed Nazrul Islam.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Islam, Syed Nazrul 1925 births 1975 deaths Bangladeshi Muslims Awami League politicians Vice presidents of Bangladesh Bangladesh Liberation War Bangladeshi people who died in prison custody University of Dhaka alumni Pakistani politicians Prisoners who died in Bangladeshi detention Recipients of the Independence Day Award Industries ministers of Bangladesh Bangladeshi people of Arab descent 20th-century Bengalis Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League executive committee members Bangladesh Krishak Sramik Awami League central committee members